INMRY  OF  PRINCETON 


MAR  I  5  B93 

I     THEOLOGtCAL  SEMINARY 


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VINDICATION 


SWEDENBORG 


THE  SLANDERS  AND  MISREPRESENTATIONS 
OF  J.  G.  PIKE  AND  OTHERS. 


'i  THE  REV.  ROBERT  HINDMARSH. 


A  n  R  I  D  O  K  D  . 


NEW  YORK: 

PUBLISHING  HOUSE  OF  THE  GENERAL  CONVENTION  OF 
THE  NEW  JERUSALEM, 
a  O     COOPER.  UNION. 


JAN  18  mi 


VINDICATION 


SWEDENBORG 


THE  SLANDERS  AND  MISREPRESENTATIONS  OP 
J.  G.  PIKE  AND  OTHERS. 


THE  REV.  ROBERT  HINDMARSH. 


A.  B  R,  I  D  G- E  X)  . 


NEW  YORK: 

PUBLISHING  HOUSE  OF  THE  GENERAL  CONVENTION  OF 
THE  NEW  JERUSALEM, 
20    COOfKR,  UNION. 

1868. 


CONTENTS. 


IfO.  FAOE 

I. — Refutation  of  the  False  Eeports  Propagated  by  Mr. 

Wesley   7 

II. — Performance  of  Miracles   11 

III.  — A  New  Revelation   13 

IV.  — Fornication  and  Adultery   15 

V. — A  Distinct  Heaven  for  Mahometans   17 

VI. — Devils  and  Angels  once  Men   19 

VII.— The  Spiritual  Sense  of  the  Word   23 

VIII.— The  Books  of  the  Word   27 

IX.— The  Apostolic  Writings   30 

X. — The  Lord's  Coming  in  the  Clouds  of  Heaven   33 

XI. — The  Lord  in  Man,  and  Man  in  the  Lord   36 

XII. — The  Lord  as  a  Sun  above  the  Angelic  Heavens   37 

XIII.  — A  Divine  Trinity,  not  of  Persons,  but  of  Essentials  in 

One  Person   39 

XIV.  — The  Lord  became  the  Word  even  in  its  Ultimates   52 

XV. — God  is  not  an  Angry,  Vindictive,  and  Relentless  Being.  55 

XVI. — Comparison  between  Mr.  Pike's  God,  and  the  God  of 

Emanuel  Swedenborg   56 

XVII. — Redemption,  how  Understood   58 

XVIIL— Angels  Redeemed  as  well  as  Men   67 

XIX. — Heaven  and  the  Church  as  One  Man   73 

XX. — Bearing  Iniquities   75 

XXI. — The  Resurrection,  how  Understood   77 

XXII. — Difficulties  and  Absurdities  respecting  the  Identity  of 

the  Material  Body   83 

XXni. — The  Doctrine  of  Paul  concerning  the  Resurrection   85 

XXIV. — Prevailing  Errors  concerning  the  Last  Judgment   92 

XXV.— The  State  of  Man  after  Death   94 

3 


4 


CONTENTS. 


NO.  JAOB 

XXVI.— The  True  Scriptural  Doctrine  of  the  Last  Judg- 
ment  96 

XXVII. — The  Particular   Judgment  of  Individuals  after 

Death   100 

XXVIII. — The  supposed  Destruction  of  the  Heavens  and  the 

Earth  by  Fire,  a  Gross  Error   100 

XXIX. — The  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord  not  in  Person,  but 

in  Spirit   105 

XXX. — The  Lord's  Second  Coming  effected  through  the 

Instrumentality  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg   109 

XXXI. — Swedenborg  falsely  charged  with  being  an  En- 

courager  of  Vice,  etc   113 

XXXIL— Female  Prostitution   121 

XXXIII.  — Indelicacies  of  Language  and  Idea   123 

XXXIV.  — To  the  Pure  all  Things  are  Pure   126 

XXXV. — The  Divine  Providence  exemplified  in  the  Per- 
mission of  Mahometanism   129 

XXXVI. — The  difference  between  mere  Sensual  Gratifications, 

and  the  Pure  Joys  of  Heaven   132 

XXXVII.— Purgatory   135 

XXXVIII.— Vastation  in  the  Other  Life   137 

XXXIX.— The  Intermediate  State,  or  World  of  Spirits   141 

XL.— The  Place  of  Punishment,  or  Hell   146 

XLI. — The  Inhabitants  of  Heaven,  as  well  as  of  Hell,  are 

all  of  the  Human  Eace   148 

XLII. — Evil  Spirits  Disturbing  Heaven   150 

XLIIL— The  Wicked  go  Voluntarily  to  Hell,  and  Infernal 

Spirits  have  their  Delights   152 

XLIV. — Some  are  in  Hell,  and  do  not  Know  it   160 

XLV. — Heavenly  Joy  supposed  to  consist  in  Perpetual 

Worship   1G2 

XLVI. — What  is  meant  by  Praying  always,  and  Incessant 

Glorification   163 

XLVIL— Angels  not  Perfectly  Pure   165 

XLVIII. — Administrations,  Offices,  Employments,  and  Trades 

in  Heaven   167 

XLIX. — Marriages  in  Heaven     171 

L. — Chief  Articles  of  the  Faith  of  the  New  Church, 

called  the  New  Jerusalem   178 


TO  THE  PUBLIC. 


A  PAMPHLET  by  J.  G.  Pike,  entitled  Sivedenborgianism 
Depicted  in  its  True  Colors,  which  first  appeared  about  fifty 
years  ago,  and  was  soon  consigned  by  a  discerning  public  to 
that  oblivion  befitting  its  slanderous  nature,  having  been  re- 
cently republished  by  private  enterprise  and  put  into  secret 
circulation  by  clergymen  and  others  of  the  various  sects, 
with  a  view  to  bringing  the  New  Church  into  disrepute,  the 
occasion  has  seemed  a  fitting  one  for  setting  forth,  in  a 
tract,  a  few  statements  in  refutation  of  this  and  other  simi- 
lar slanders  which  from  time  to  time  have  been  placed  be- 
fore the  public.  Our  private  inclination  would  lead  us  to 
treat  all  such  assaults  upon  the  New  Church  with  silent 
disregard ;  it  is  alone  a  sense  of  duty  to  the  public  in  the 
cause  of  truth  that  urges  us  to  oflTer  in  this  case  a  few 
words  in  reply.  From  the  abundant  materials  at  hand  in 
the  able  vindications  of  our  doctrines  which  have  appeared 
from  time  to  time  in  answer  to  similar  charges,  we  have 
chosen  to  present  an  abridgment  of  the  Reply  to  the  above- 
named  pamphlet,  published  in  England  by  the  Rev.  Robert 
Hindmarsh  in  1822.  But  we  would  cordially  recommend 
all  candid  and  sincere  inquirers  to  go,  if  practicable,  to 


6 


TO  THE  PUBLIC. 


tlie  "Writings  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg  himself,  and  particu- 
larly, in  this  instance,  to  read  the  work  entitled  Conjugial 
Love,  and  also  his  noble  treatise  on  the  True  Christian  E&- 
ligion,  or  Universal  Theology  of  The  New  Church,  which, 
with  all  the  other  doctrinal  writings  of  the  New  Church, 
may  easily  be  obtained  from  the  Publishing  House  of  the 
General  Convention,  No.  20  Cooper  Union,  New  York.  We 
need  desire  no  better  vindication  of  our  religion  against 
the  vile  and  slanderous  aspersions  of  Mr.  Pike  than  is  con- 
tained in  these  works  of  our  author,  when  fairly  examined 
in  their  integrity  and  in  their  manifest  import,  rather  than 
in  the  garbled  and  misconstrued  passages  presented  by  the 
pamphlet  under  our  notice. 

F.  S. 


A  VINDICATION 

OF  THE 

WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


I. — Refutation  op  the  Faxse  Reports  peopagated 
BY  Mr.  Wesley.* 

Mr.Wesley  asserts  in  his  Arminian  Magazine  for  August, 
1783,  p.  438,  that  he  was  informed  by  one  Mr.  Brockmer,  of 
London,  and  also  by  Mr.  Mathesius,  a  Swedish  clergyman, 
that  Swedenborg,  while  he  lodged  at  the  house  of  the  former, 
"  had  a  violent  fever,  in  the  height  of  which,  being  totally 
delirious,  he  broke  from  Mr.  Brockmer,  ran  into  the  street 
stark  naked,  proclaimed  himself  the  Messiah,  and  rolled 
himself  in  the  mire."  Being  desirous  of  ascertaining  the 
truth  or  falsehood  of  this  story  from  Mr.  Brockmer's  own 
mouth,  I  made  it  my  business,  in  company  with  three  other 
gentlemen  now  deceased,  to  wait  upon  him  at  his  apart- 
ments in  Fetter  Lane,  and  to  ask  him  whether  he  had  ever 
communicated  to  Mr.  Wesley,  or  to  any  other  person,  such 
information  as  above  stated,  at  the  same  time  showing  him 
the  different  numbers  of  the  magazine  in  which  the  re- 
ports published  by  Mr.  Wesley  were  contained.  After 

*  We  have  in  our  abridgment  of  the  original  left  out  occasionally 
passages  treating  of  such  objections  as  are  too  trifling  to  deserve 
consideration  at  the  present  time.  The  section  headings  are  re- 
tained, but  newly  numbered. — Ed. 

7 


8 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


hearing  the  passages  read,  Mr.  Brockmer  without  hesitation 
denied  the  fact,  positively  declaring,  "  that  he  had  never 
opened  his  mouth  on  the  subject  to  Mr.  \V'esley,  nor  had  he 
ever  given  such  an  account  to  any  other  person ; "  and  he 
seemed  much  displeased,  that  Mr.  Wesley  should  have 
taken  the  liberty  to  make  use  of  his  name  in  public  print, 
without  his  knowledge  or  consent.  "  Swedenborg  (said  he) 
was  never  afflicted  with  any  illness,  much  less  with  a  violent 
fever,  while  at  my  house :  nor  did  he  ever  break  from  me 
in  a  delirious  state,  and  run  into  the  street  stark  naked, 
and  there  proclaim  himself  the  Messiah,  as  Mr.  Wesley  has 
unjustly  represented.  But  perhaps  he  may  have  heard  a 
report  to  that  effect  from  some  other  person ;  and  it  is 
well  known,  that  Mr.  Wesley  is  a  very  credulous  man,  and 
easily  to  be  imposed  upon  by  any  idle  tale,  from  whatever 
quarter  it  may  come." 

Mr.  Brockmer  died  a  few  months  after  he  made  the  dec- 
laration above  recited :  but  the  peruke-maker  alluded  to  by 
Mr.  Wesley,  namely,  Mr.  Richard  Shearsmith,  who  lived 
in  Cold  Bath  Fields,  Clerkenwell,  and  at  whose  house 
Swedenborg  afterwards  lodged  and  died,  survived  Mr. 
Brockmer  many  years.  Him  also  I  well  knew,  and  have 
often  had  occasion  to  speak  to  him  of  the  character,  habits, 
and  manners  of  Swedenborg :  and  he  uniformly  gave  the 
most  unequivocal  and  honorable  testimony  concerning  him, 
both  with  respect  to  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  and  the 
soundness  of  his  understanding.  He  declared  himself 
ready  to  attest  (upon  oath  if  required)  that  "  from  the  first 
day  of  his  coming  to  reside  at  his  house,  to  the  last  day  of 
his  life,  he  always  conducted  himself  in  the  most  rational, 
prudent,  pious,  and  Christian-like  manner:  and  he  was 
firmly  of  opinion,  that  every  report  injurious  to  his  charac- 
ter had  been  raised  merely  from  malice,  or  disaffection  to 
his  writings,  by  persons  of  a  bigoted  and  contracted  spirit." 


■WRiriNGS  OF  EMANUEL,  SWEDENBORG. 


9 


Mr.  Shearsmith  has  been  dead  now  for  some  years.  I  saw 
him  not  long  before  his  deatli ;  and  he  continued  to  bear 
the  same  testimony,  which  he  had  so  often  repeated  in  my 
hearing  during  the  course  of  the  thirty  years  that  I  had 
known  him. 

The  other  person  whom  Mr.  Wesley  names  as  having 
given  him  the  same  information  as  Mr.  Brockmer  had 
done,  was  Mr.  Mathesius,  a  Swedish  clergyman.  Of  the 
credit  due  to  this  Mathesius,  the  following  extract  of  a 
letter  from  Christopher  Springer,  Esq.,  a  Swedish  gentle- 
man of  distinction  then  resident  in  London,  and  the  inti- 
mate friend  of  Swedenborg,  will  enable  the  reader  to  form 
a  just  and  correct  estimate.  Speaking  of  Swedenborg's 
death,  he  observes,  "  When  the  deceased  found  his  end  ap- 
proaching, and  expressed  a  wish  to  have  the  communion 
administered  to  him,  somebody  present  at  the  time  proposed 
sending  for  Mr.  Mathesius,  the  officiating  minister  of  the 
Swedish  church.  This  person  was  known  to  be  a  professed 
enemy  of  Swedenborg,  and  had  set  his  face  against  his  wri- 
tings. It  was  he  that  had  raised  and  spread  the  false  ac- 
count of  Swedenborg's  having  been  deprived  of  his  senses, 
Swedenborg  therefore  declined  taking  the  sacrament  from 
him,  and  actually  received  it  from  the  hands  of  another  eccle- 
siastic of  his  own  country,  named  Ferelius,  who  at  that  time 
was  a  reader  of  Swedenborg's  writings,  and  is  said  to  have 
continued  to  do  so  ever  since,  at  Stockholm,  where  he  is  now 
living  (in  1786);  and  I  have  been  assured,  that,  on  this 
occasion,  Swedenborg  expressly  exhorted  him  '  to  continue 
steadfast  in  the  truth.'  Mr.  Mathesius  is  said  to  have  become 
insane  himself,  a  short  time  after  this  ;  and  becoming  thereby 
incapable  of  his  function,  has  existed  ever  since,  in  that 
melancholy  state,  upon  the  bounty  of  the  King  of  Sweden." 

What  now  are  we  to  say  of  the  report  first  invented  by 
Mr.  Mathesius  the  Lutheran  divine,  afterwards  propagated 


10 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


by  Mr.  Wesley  the  Arminian  divine,  and  lastly  by  Mr. 
Pike  the  Baptist  divine,  but  that  they  each  found  it  the 
easiest  and  most  convenient  argument  to  be  drawn  against 
the  heavenly  doctrines  contained  in  the  writings  of  Eman- 
uel Swedenborg?  When  the  theologians  of  former  days 
found  themselves  unable  to  withstand  the  new  but  powerful 
doctrines  of  divine  truth  delivered  by  the  Saviour  of  the 
world,  some  said,  "  He  is  a  good  man  ;  others  said,  Nay ; 
but  he  deceiveth  the  people,"  John  vii.  12.  "He  is  beside 
himself"  Mark  iii.  21.  "  And  many  of  them  said.  He 
hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad ;  why  hear  ye  him  ?  But  others 
said.  These  are  not  the  words  of  him  that  hath  a  devil : 
can  a  devil  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  ?"  John  x.  20,  21. 
Now  we  know  the  truth  of  our  Lord's  words,  when  he 
saith,  "  The  disciple  is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the  servant 
above  his  lord.  It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  to  be  as  his 
master,  and  the  servant  as  his  lord :  if  they  have  called  the 
master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  shall  they 
call  them  of  his  household  ?"  Matt.  x.  24,  25.  And  again, 
"  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord.  If  they  have 
persecuted  me,  they  will  also  persecute  you,"  John  xv.  20. 

In  all  ages  of  the  church  divine  truth  has  been  persecuted 
in  the  persons  of  those  who  have  been  its  most  strenuous 
asserters  and  advocates ;  and  in  general  according  to  the 
degree  in  which  they  have  manifested  their  sincerity,  in- 
tegrity, and  faithfulness  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty,  in 
the  same  degree  have  they  been  subjected  to  the  derision 
and  scorn  of  the  world.  It  was  not  therefore  to  be  expected, 
that  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  the  distinguished  and  devoted 
servant  of  his  Lord,  would  escape  the  malevolent  and  bitter 
attacks  of  his  enemies,  who  either  through  ignorance  of 
the  doctrines  he  taught,  or  through  envy  at  their  success, 
are  disposed  to  treat  the  disciple  in  the  same  ungenerous 
manner  as  their  predecessors  of  old  had  treated  his  Divine 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO. 


11 


Master.  But  as  Michael  the  archangel,  in  disputing  with 
the  devil  about  the  body  of  Moses  (the  historical  sense  of 
the  Word),  durst  not  bring  against  him  a  railing  accusation, 
so  it  is  the  duty  of  those,  who  are  engaged  in  the  defence 
of  a  good  cause,  to  imitate  so  illustrious  an  example,  and 
to  leave  all  judgment  to  Him  who  cannot  err. 

Having  made  these  observations  on  Mr.  Pike's  personal 
attack  on  Swedenborg,  I  shall  now  proceed  to  the  examina- 
tion of  his  charges  against  the  testimony  as  well  as  the  doc- 
trines  contained  in  his  writings.  These  are  arranged  under 
distinct  heads ;  and  though  the  greater  part  of  them  have 
been  repeatedly  answered  and  refuted  by  difi'erent  writers 
in  defence  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  yet,  as  they  are  again 
brought  forward  under  the  specious  pretext  of  vindicating 
the  cause  of  Christianity,  and  supporting  the  interests  of 
its  professors,  whether  they  be  Churchmen  or  Dissenters, 
Arminians  or  Calvinists,  it  may  be  advisable  to  meet  those 
charges  on  the  present  occasion,  and  to  demonstrate,  that 
they  are  in  general  founded  in  error,  and  a  total  misappre- 
hension both  of  the  language  and  the  true  sense  of  divine 
revelation. 

II. — Performance  of  Miracles. 

The  first  objection  or  charge,  which  Mr.  Pike  brings 
against  the  authority  and  credibility  of  Swedenborg,  is, 
"  that  he  "has  given  no  proofs  that  he  was  a  divine  messen- 
ger, either  by  working  miracles,  or  by  predicting  any  con- 
siderable events  that  have  since  taken  place  in  the  world." 

What  miracle  did  John  the  Baptist  perform  to  convince 
the  Jews  that  he  was  charged  with  a  divine  commission? 
that  he  was  vested  with  the  authority  of  a  prophet  ?  yea,  as 
our  Lord  himself  expresses  it,  of  more  than  a  prophet  ?  It 
is  expressly  written,  "John  did  no  miracle;  but  all  things" 
that  John  spake  of  this  man  (Jesus)  were  true.    And  many 


12 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


believed  on  him  there,"  John  x.  41,  42.  Miracles,  then,  in 
the  case  of  John  the  Baptist,  were  not  necessary  to  justify 
his  pretensions;  neither  was  his  testimony  concerning  the 
Messiah  less  effectual  by  reason  of  their  absence;  for  by 
virtue  of  the  truth  alone  it  produced  conviction  in  the 
minds  of  many  of  his  hearers,  and  caused  them  to  believe 
on  the  name  of  the  Lord:  a  proof  this  that  rational  evi- 
dence is  superior  to  the  most  miraculous  displays  of  power. 

Our  Lord  says,  "  There  shall  arise  fahe  christs  and  false 
prophets,  who  shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders,  insomuch 
that  (if  it  were  possible)  they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect," 
Matt.  xxiv.  24;  Mark  xiii.  22.  If  so,  then  signs  and 
wonders,  or  miraculous  performances,  are  no  certain  proofs 
of  a  divine  mission,  because  they  are  within  the  power  of 
impostors  and  false  teachers,  and  by  no  means  the  peculiar 
characteristics  of  a  divinely  authorized  prophet.  Nay,  the 
power  of  working  miracles  is  expressly  attributed  to  devib, 
in  Apoc.  xvL  14:  and  the  very  wish  or  desire  to  see  a  sign, 
in  proof  of  a  divine  commission,  is  charged  on  the  Jews  as 
a  mark  of  their  being  a  wicked  and  adulterous  generation, 
Matt.  xvi.  4. 

Then  why,  it  may  be  asked,  were  miracles  performed 
among  the  Jews  in  ancient  times,  and  not  among  Christians 
in  the  present  day?  The  answer  is,  Because  the  former 
were  so  immersed  in  natural  and  corporeal  affections  that 
they  were  incapable  of  discerning  the  interior  spiritual 
truths  of  revelation;  neither  could  these  be  laid  before 
them  without  danger  of  profanation :  on  which  account  the 
Lord  spake  to  that  people  in  parables,  that  "seeing  they 
might  see,  and  not  perceive,  and  hearing  they  might  hear, 
and  not  understand,^'  Mark  iv.  12.  Whereas  now,  since  the 
introduction  of  Christianity  into  the  world,  the  rational 
faculties  of  the  human  mind  are  more  capable  than  before 
of  being  exercised  on  subjects  of  a  divine  nature,  especially 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEXBORG.  13 


in  respect  to  the  Lord,  his  AVord,  the  Church  and  a  state 
of  immortality  in  another  life. 

Henceforth,  therefore,  no  other  miracle  is  required  in  the 
Church  than  the  opening  of  the  eyes  of  the  understanding, 
the  renovation  of  the  heart  and  affections,  a  conformity  of 
the  life  to  the  holy  and  divine  precepts  of  the  "Word,  and 
the  actual  descent  of  the  New  Jerusalem  from  heaven  to 
earth.  Effects  like  these,  wheresoever  or  with  whomsoever 
they  take  place,  are  truly  miraculous,  because  they  are  su- 
pernatural, and  plainly  bespeak  a  divine  power,  which  is 
alone  capable  of  producing  them. 

III. — A  New  Kevelation. 

It  is  asserted  by  Mr.  Pike  that  "  the  Scriptures  give  us 
no  warrant  for  expecting  any  new  revelation."  Now,  in 
opposition  to  this,  our  Lord  expressly  says  to  his  disciples, 
"I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot 
bear  them  now.  Howbeit,  when  he  the  Spirit  of  truth  is 
come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth,"  John  xvi.  12,  13. 
Here  he  evidently  declares  that  the  revelation,  which  in 
his  divine  wisdom  he  saw  was  best  suited  and  adapted  to 
their  imperfect  comprehension  at  that  time,  would  in  some 
future  day  be  succeeded  by  one  more  distinct  and  full,  when 
the  Spirit  of  truth  would  enlighten  their  understandings 
with  new  discoveries  of  his  Word  and  will,  which  they  were 
then  incapable  of  receiving.  In  another  verse  of  the  same 
chapter  he  adds,  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  in 
proverbs:  the  time  cometh  when  I  shall  no  more  speak  uiito 
you  in  proverbs,  but  I  shall  show  you  plainly  of  the 
Father,"  ver.  25.  Here  again  a  new  and  plainer  revela- 
tion concerning  the  Father,  in  addition  to  that  which  they 
were  then  favored  with,  is  distinctly  promised:  and  we 
know  that  this  promise  was  never  fulfilled  until  the  publi- 
cation of  the  heavenly  doctrines  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 

2 


14 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


which  teach  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer  and  Saviour 
of  the  world,  is  at  the  same  time  its  Creator  and  Preserver, 
and  consequently  the  only  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  the 
Everlasting  Father  himself:  see  Isa.  ix.  6.  Chap.  xl.  3,  9, 
10.  Chap,  xliii.  1,  11.  Chap.  Ixiii.  16.  John  xiv.  9. 
Apoc.  i.  8,  11,  17.    Chap.  xxii.  13. 

From  a  variety  of  other  passages  it  appears  that  the 
Lord  was,  in  some  future  day,  to  come  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.  Matt.  xxiv.  30 ;  that 
is,  in  his  Holy  Word,  unloosing  the  seals  of  its  letter,  Isa. 
xxix.  11;  and  revealing  its  spiritual  sense,  Apoc.  v.  1  to  9. 
The  prophet  Isaiah,  speaking  of  this  same,  saith,  "The 
glory  of  Jehovah  shall  he  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it 
together"  Isa.  xl.  5.  "Jehovah  shall  arise  upon  thee,  and 
his  glory  shall  be  seen  upon  thee,"  chap.  Ix.  2.  And  in  the 
Apocalypse  it  is  written,  "The  Lord  God  of  the  holy 
prophets  sent  his  angel  to  show  unto  his  servants  the  things 
which  must  shortly  be  done.  Behold,  /  come  quickly,  and 
my  reward  is  with  me,"  Apoc.  xxii.  6,  12.  "Write  the 
things  which  thou  hast  seen,  and  the  things  which  are,  and 
the  things  which  shall  be  hereafter,"  Apoc.  i.  19.  "The  tem- 
ple of  God  was  opened  in  heaven,  and  there  was  seen  in  his 
temple  the  ark  of  his  testament,"  Apoc.  xi.  19.  "And  after 
that  I  looked,  and  behold,  the  temple  of  the  tabernacle  of 
the  testimony  in  heaven  was  opened,"  Apoc.  xv.  5.  And 
again,  "I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold,  a  white  horse; 
and  he  that  sat  upon  him  was  called  faithful  and  true. 
And  he  was  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipt  in  blood ;  and  his 
name  is  called  The  Word  of  God,"  Apoc.  xix.  11,  13.  These 
and  many  other  passages,  both  in  the  Old  and  the  New 
Testament,  clearly  show  that  some  further  manifestation  of 
divine  truth,  beyond  the  mere  literal  expressions  contained 
in  the  AVord,  was  to  be  communicated  to  the  church  on 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  15 


earth,  and  that  such  manifestation  would,  in  fact,  be  a  new 
revelation  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

The  apostle  Paul  likewise  says  that  "the  Lord  Jesus 
shall  be  revealed  from  heaven ;  that  he  shall  come  to  be  glo- 
rified iu  his  saints,  and  to  be  admired  in  all  them  that  be- 
lieve in  that  day,"  2  Thess.  i.  7,  10.  But  that  "  the  day  of 
Christ  shall  be  preceded  by  a  general  falling  away  from  the 
true  faith,"  2  Thess.  ii.  2,  3.  Which  agrees  with  our  Lord's 
words,  where  he  saith,  "  When  the  Son  of  Man  cometh, 
shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth?"  Luke  xviii.  8.  In  like 
manner  the  apostle  Peter  speaks  of  "the  grace  that  is  to  be 
brought  into  the  church  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ," 
1  Pet.  i.  13.  In  all  these  cases  a  future  revelation  is  clearly 
announced;  and  we  are  fully  warranted  in  expecting  it, 
notwithstanding  Mr.  Pike's  assertion  to  the  contrary.  It  is 
called  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  not  because  he  will 
then  manifest  himself  to  the  world  in  person,  or  in  an  open 
and  visible  manner,  as  some  are  led  to  expect,  but  because 
he  will  open  the  interior  sense  of  his  Word,  which  indeed 
is  himself,  John  i.  1, 14,  and  thereby  communicate  new  light 
and  new  life  to  those  who  heretofore  were  sitting  in  the 
shade  and  obscurity  of  its  letter. 

IV. — Fornication  and  Adultery. 

The  next  charge  against  Swedenborg  is,  that  with  him 
"  fornication  is  allowable,  and  adultery,  in  many  cases,  no 
crime."  This  is  a  most  unjust  charge,  and  can  only  be 
made  by  those,  who  either  willfully  or  ignorantly  misrepre- 
sent the  author.  So  far  from  countenancing  and  encour- 
aging the  evils  of  fornication  and  adultery,  he  expressly 
condemns  them ;  but  at  the  same  time,  with  that  wisdom 
and  discrimination  to  which  his  opponent  appears  to  be  an 
entire  stranger,  he  distinguishes  between  the  several  kinds 
and  degrees  of  evil  in  both  the  one  and  the  other.    On  the 


16 


A  VINDICATION  OP  THE 


subject  of  fornication  he  Avrites  thus  :  "  There  are  degrees 
of  the  qualities  of  evil,  as  there  are  degrees  of  the  quali- 
ties of  good :  wherefore  every  evil  is  lighter  and  heavier,  as 
every  good  is  better  and  more  excellent.  The  case  is  the 
same  with  fornication,  which,  as  being  a  lust,  and  a  lust  of 
the  natural  man  not  yet  purified,  is  an  evil :  but  inasmuch 
as  every  man  is  capable  of  being  purified,  therefore  so  far 
as  it  accedes  or  approaches  to  a  purified  state,  so  far  that 
evil  becomes  a  lighter  evil,  for  so  far  it  is  wiped  away ;  but 
so  far  as  it  accedes  or  approaches  to  the  love  of  adultery, 
so  far  it  is  more  grievous."  Conjugial  Love,  452.  He 
afterwards,  n.  453,  explains  what  he  means  by  the  lust  of 
fornication  acceding  or  approaching  to  adultery :  "All  for- 
nicators (says  he)  look  to  adultery,  M'ho  do  not  believe 
adulteries  to  be  sins,  and  who  entertain  like  thoughts  of 
marriages  and  of  adulteries,  only  with  the  discrimination 
of  what  is  allowed  and  what  is  disallowed"  by  the  laws  of 
human  society. 

On  the  subject  of  adultery  perhaps  no  author  has  ever 
written  so  amply,  so  ably,  and  so  expressly  in  condemna- 
tion of  that  vice,  as  Swedenborg  has  done  throughout  his 
voluminous  works,  particularly  in  his  treatise  on  Heaven 
and  Hell,  384;  Conjugial  Love,  464,  500  ;  Arcana  Calestia, 
8904 ;  where  he  observes,  that  "  whenever  man  commits 
adultery,  and  feels  a  delight  therein,  heaven  is  closed  against 
him."  But  he  also  discriminates  between  the  degrees  of 
guilt  even  in  acts  of  adultery,  according  to  the  circum- 
stances attending  them,  justly  remarking,  that  some  cases 
are  less  aggravated  than  others :  and  for  this  he  is  shame- 
fully accused  of  encouraging  vice,  and  giving  his  sanction 
to  adultery,  by  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Pike,  of  Derby,  a  professed 
minister  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ ;  by  Mr.  Pike,  who 
knows  no  difference  in  guilt  between  simple  fornication  and 
the  infernal  lust  of  adultery,  but  confounding  together  all 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  17 


the  shades  of  crime,  the  lightest  with  the  most  grievous  and 
pernicious,  pronounces  the  same  judgment  on  every  kind 
and  degree  of  exil !  To  reason  with  such  a  man  is  obvi- 
ously a  waste  of  time,  which  might  be  employed  to  a  much 
better  purpose.  If  he  cannot  of  himself  comprehend  so 
plain  a  doctrine  as  that  of  the  equitable  distribution  of 
rewards  and  punishments,  according  to  the  degree  of  merit 
or  demerit  in  human  actions,  no  arguments  will  avail  so  as 
to  produce  a  conviction  of  the  truth  and  justice  of  our 
Lord's  words  in  the  Gospel,  where  he  saith,  "  That  servant, 
who  knew  his  lord's  will,  and  prepared  not  himself,  neither 
did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes. 
But  he  that  knew  not,  and  did  commit  things  worthy  of 
stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes,"  Luke  xii.  47,  48. 
Let  these  observations  suffice  for  the  present,  as  we  shall 
have  occasion  to  return  to  this  subject  again  in  the  course 
of  the  work. 

V. — A  Distinct  Heaven  for  Mahometans. 

Another  charge  against  Swedenborg  is,  that  he  assigns 
"a  distinct  heaven  for  Mahometans,  where  they  have 
a  plurality  of  wives."  It  is  generally  supposed,  that 
there  is  only  one  heaven,  one  spacious  receptacle,  into 
which  all  good  men  are  admitted  after  death, •without  any 
regard  to  the  different  degrees  and  qualities  of  the  charity 
and  faith,  which  constitute  their  spiiitual  life.  And  this 
crude,  indigested  notion  of  a  future  state  and  place  of  hap- 
piness appears  to  be  entertained  by  Mr.  Pike,  as  if  it  were 
a  matter  of  undoubted  certainty.  That  there  are,  however, 
at  least  three  heavens,  cannot  be  denied  by  those  who  admit 
the  authority  of  the  apostle  Paul ;  for  he  expressly  states, 
that  he  knew  a  man  (probably  himself),  who  was  "  caught 
up  into  the  third  heaven,"  2  Cor.  xii.  2.  And  if  we  appeal 
to  still  higher  authority,  we  shall  find,  that  the  kingdom  of 
2  » 


18 


A  VINDICATION  OP  THE 


heaven  is  diversified  by  numerous  habitations,  or  distinct 
places  of  abode,  all  of  them  being  doubtless  accommodated 
to  the  temper,  taste,  and  spiritual  state  of  their  respective 
inhabitants.  Our  Lord  in  the  Gospel  says  to  his  disciples, 
"  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions :  if  it  were  not 
so,  I  would  have  told  you,"  John  xiv.  2.  Nothing  there- 
fore can  be  conceived  of  as  more  consistent  with  divine 
order,  and  the  true  sense  of  Holy  Writ,  than  such  an 
arrangement  in  the  mansions  of  bliss,  as  may  be  best  suited 
to  the  various  dispositions  and  habits  of  life,  which  have 
been  previously  formed  in  good  and  pious  men,  according 
to  their  several  professions  of  religion,  whether  they  have 
been  Christians,  Mahometans,  Jews,  or  Pagans.  For  to 
suppose,  that  none  but  Christians  can  hereafter  become  the 
subjects  of  eternal  happiness,  and  that  all  others  are  neces- 
sarily excluded  from  heaven,  is  the  height  of  cruelty,  wick- 
edness, and  insanity :  it  is  an  aspersion  of  the  character  of 
Him  "  whose  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works,"  Ps. 
0x1  V.  9  ;  and  who  declares,  that  "  many  shall  come  from  the 
east,  and  /rom  the  west,  and  from  the  north,  and  from  the 
south,  and  shall  sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God,"  Luke 
xiii.  29 ;  Matt.  viii.  11. 

With  respect  to  the  Mahometans  being  allowed  "  a  plu- 
rality of  wives  in  heaven,"  this  is  not  correctly  stated.  Swe- 
denborg's  words  are  as  follows :  "  The  Mahometans,  like  all 
other  people  who  acl«iowledge  God,  and  love  what  is  just, 
and  do  good  from  religious  motives,  have  their  particular 
heaven,  but  out  of  the  limits  of  the  Christian  heaven. 
The  Mahometan  heaven  is  divided  into  two :  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  inferior  heaven  live  virtuously  with  several 
wives,  but  none  are  raised  thence  into  the  superior  heaven, 
except  such  as  renounce  a  plurality  of  wives,  and  acknow- 
ledge the  Lord  our  Saviour,  and  at  the  same  time  his 
dominion  over  heaven  and  hell.    I  have  been  informed. 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  19 


that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  conceive  God  the  Father 
aud  our  Lord  to  be  one  ;  but  that  it  is  possible  for  them  to 
believe,  that  the  Lord  hath  dominion  over  the  heavens  and 
the  hells,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  God  the  Father.  It  is 
this  faith  \yhereby  the  Lord  effecteth  their  ascent  into  the 
superior  heaven."  True  Christ.  Belief.,  832.  We  leave 
this  passage  without  comment  for  two  reasons ;  first,  because 
it  is  not  contrary  to  the  Scriptures,  though  it  may  sound 
strange  in  the  ears  of  a  person,  whose  charity  is  contracted 
to  the  span  of  his  o^vn  narrow  circle ;  secondly,  because 
every  man  of  sound  understanding,  who  believes  in  divine 
revelation,  may  know,  that  the  life  which  is  confirmed  by 
habit  in  this  world,  especially  if  derived  from  the  religious 
instruction  received  from  infancy,  cannot  easily  be  changed 
after  death ;  but  that  each  individual,  whatever  may  have 
been  the  dispensation  under  which  the  Divine  Providence 
had  placed  him,  will  be  dealt  with  and  rewarded  hereafter 
according  to  the  quality  of  his  works,  which  are  expressly 
said  to  "follow  with  him"  Apoc.  xiv.  13. 

VI. — Devils  and  Angels  once  Men. 

The  doctrine  maintained  by  Swedenborg,  "that  devils 
and  angels  were  once  men,"  is  also  brought  as  a  charge 
against  him,  in  all  probability  merely  because  it  is  new  to 
Mr.  Pike,  and  to  those  who  in  reading  the  Scriptures,  as 
he  must  have  done,  with  half-closed  eyes,  have  not  been 
able  to  discover  its  truth,  though  to  an  impartial  eye  it  is 
very  evident.  It  is  indeed  the  general  opinion,  that  angels 
were  originally  created  such,  and  immediately  placed  in 
heaven,  without  having  first  lived  as  men  in  the  natural 
world,  and  that  many  of  them  afterwards  rebelled,  and 
were  cast  down  from  heaven,  together  with  Lucifer,  the  in- 
stigator and  leader  of  the  insurrection.  This  idea,  how- 
ever, has  no  foundation  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  either  of 


20 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


the  Old  Testament,  or  of  the  New ;  but  has  arisen  in  the 
church  from  a  misapprehension  of  the  true  sense  of  those 
passages,  wherein  mention  is  made  of  angels,  of  the  song 
of  God,  and  of  Lucifer  the  son  of  the  morning ;  and  has 
been  further  confirmed  by  the  representations  of  poets  and 
other  fanciful  writers. 

But  to  come  to  more  direct  proofs  from  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures, that  angels  and  men  are  of  one  and  the  same  species 
of  intelligent  beings,  it  is  written,  that  "  in  the  beginning 
(that  is,  at  the  commencement  of  all  things)  God  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth,"  Gen.  i.  1.  And  after  describ- 
ing the  process  introductory  to  the  formation  of  man,  it  is 
then  added,  "So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the 
image  of  God  created  he  him ;  male  and  female  created  he 
them,"  ver.  27.  The  inspired  penman  concludes  this  part 
of  the  subject  by  saying,  "Thus  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
were  finished,  and  all  the  host  of  them.  And  on  the  seventh 
day  God  ended  his  work  which  he  had  made ;  and  he  rested 
on  the  seventh  day  from  all  his  work  which  he  had  made," 
Gen.  ii.  1,  2.  If  now  this  be  regarded  as  an  account  of  the 
first  act  of  creation,  it  is  plain  that  men  were  formed  before 
angels,  and  not  contrariwise :  for  it  would  be  the  height  of 
absurdity  to  suppose,  that  angels  or  any  other  beings  were 
created  before  the  beginning,  or  before  the  Divine  Agent 
began  his  work. 

The  order  of  creation  is  also  worthy  of  being  noticed ; 
because  it  shows,  that  the  less  perfect  production  preceded 
the  more  perfect :  first  of  all,  inanimate  matter  was  created, 
as  earth  and  water  on  the  first  day ;  then  vegetables,  as 
grass,  herbs,  and  fruit  trees,  on  the  third  day ;  afterwards 
animals,  as  fishes  fowls,  and  beasts,  on  the  fifth  day ;  lastly 
men,  male  and  female,  on  the  sixth  day.  But  man  at  his 
first  formation  was  not  in  so  high  a  state  of  perfection  as 
he  afterwards  arrived  at,  when  "  the  Lord  God  breathed 


WEITINOS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


21 


into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  lives,  and  he  became  a  living 
soul,"  Gen.  ii.  7.  With  this  new  name  lie  acquired  a  new 
quality,  and  became  in  effect  a  man-angel  while  living  in 
the  body,  each  successive  stage  of  his  existence  introducing 
him  to  a  still  more  exalted  degree  of  wisdom  and  intelli- 
gence, until  at  length,  by  putting  off  the  material  body,  he 
became  a  pure  spirit  or  an  angel.  In  this  last  state  the 
term  angel  is  not  unfrequently  applied  to  him  in  the  Word: 
and  reciprocally  also  an  angel  is  called  a  mail. 

The  first  place,  in  which  mention  is  made  of  an  angel,  is 
Gen.  xvi.  7  to  11,  where  the  angel  of  Jehovah  appeared  to 
Hagar.  But  as  this  passage  does  not  furnish  so  clear  a 
proof  of  the  identity  of  angels  and  men,  as  the  argument 
requires,  we  proceed  to  others  more  decisive  of  the  ques- 
tion. In  Gen.  xviii.  we  read,  that  three  angels  appeared 
to  Abraham,  who  are  expressly  called  men,  ver.  2,  16,  22. 
And  in  like  manner  the  two  angels  that  appeared  to  Lot, 
Gen.  xix.  5,  8,  10,  12,  16.  We  also  read,  that  "when 
Joshua  was  by  Jericho,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  looked, 
and  behold,  there  stood  a  man  over  against  him  with  his 
drawn  sword  in  his  hand :"  and  that  the  same  man  was  an 
angel,  is  plain  from  his  calling  himself  "  t/ie  captain  of  the 
Lord's  host,"  Josh.  v.  13  to  15.  An  angel  likewise  ap- 
peared to  Manoah's  wife,  and  afterwards  to  Manoah  him- 
self, as  a  man,  being  repeatedly  so  called,  Judg.  xiii.  3,  6,  8, 
10,  11.  The  priest  and  prophet  Ezekiel  constantly  de- 
scribes the  angels,  whom  he  saw,  as  men:  see  chap.  ix.  2,  8, 
11;  chap.  X.  2,  3,  6,  7;  chap.  xl.  3,  4;  chap,  xliii.  6;  chap, 
xlvii.  3.  Daniel  and  Zechariah  do  the  same :  see  Dan.  viii. 
15,  16;  chap.  ix.  21,  where  the  angel  Gabriel  is  called  the 
man  Gabriel.  Chap.  x.  5,  16,  18  ;  chap.  xii.  6,  7  ;  Zech.  i. 
8,  10 ;  chap.  ii.  1. 

The  same  doctrine  of  tiie  identity  of  angels  and  men 
is  equally  demonstrable  from  the  writings  of  the  New 


22 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


Testament.  In  Mark  xvi.  5,  the  angel  that  was  seen  "  sit- 
ting on  the  right  side  of  the  Lord's  sepulchre,  clothed  in  a 
long  white  garment,"  is  called  "  a  young  man."  And  in 
Luke  xxiv.  4,  when  the  women  went  to  the  sepulchre,  to 
look  for  the  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  it  is  said,  that  "  two 
men  (meaning  two  angels)  stood  by  them  in  shining  gar- 
ments." Our  Lord  also  in  the  same  Evangelist  says,  that 
deceased  men,  who  have  departed  in  a  regenerate  state, 
"  are  equal  unto  the  angels,"  Luke  xx.  36. 

But  the  doctrine  here  maintained  is  inculcated  more 
plainly  still  by  the  apostle  John  in  the  book  of  Revelation. 
The  angel,  who  accompanied  John,  and  showed  him  the 
great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from  God  out 
of  heaven,  measured  the  wall  thereof,  and  found  it  to  be  an 
hundred  and  forty  and  four  cubits,  which  are  said  to  be 
"  according  to  the  measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  an  angel," 
Apoc.  xxi.  17 ;  thus  identifying  a  man  and  an  angel  as  one 
and  the  same,  because  they  are  of  the  same  family  by  crea- 
tion, and  acknowledge  the  same  Lord  as  their  common 
Parent. 

It  is  further  written,  that  after  the  angel  had  showed 
John  the  wonderful  things  relating  to  heaven,  he  was  about 
to  fall  at  his  feet  in  profound  adoration :  but  the  angel  im- 
mediately stopped  him,  and  said,  "  See  thou  do  it  not ;  for 
I  am  thy  jellotv-servant,  and  of  thy  brethren  that  have  the 
testimony  of  Jesus :  worship  God,"  Apoc.  xix.  10.  And 
again  the  apostle  continues,  "  When  I  had  heard  and  seen, 
I  fell  down  to  worship  before  the  feet  of  the  angel  who 
showed  me  these  things.  Then  saith  he  unto  me.  See  thou 
do  it  not ;  for  I  am  thy  felloiv-servant,  and  of  thy  brethren 
the  prophets,  and  of  them  who  keep  the  sayings  of  this 
book :  worship  God,"  Apoc.  xxii.  8,  9.  Here  the  angel 
avows  himself  to  be  only  a  man,  a  prophet,  the  brother  and 
Jellow-servant  of  John,  and  of  no  higher  consideration  than 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  23 


other  pious  and  good  men,  who,  having  kept  the  sayings  or 
commandments  of  their  Saviour,  are  after  death  admitted 
to  share  in  the  glory  and  happiness  of  heaven. 

Having  made  these  observations,  I  now  ask,  Why  should 
it  be  thought  a  strange  or  unscriptural  doctrine,  that  all  the 
angels  of  heaven  were  once  men  upon  earth ;  and  by 
parity  of  reason,  that  all  the  devils  in  hell  were  once  equally 
men?  since  the  most  satisfactory  testimony,  drawn  from 
prophets,  evangelists,  and  apostles,  establishes  the  fact,  that 
at  the  very  beginning  of  creation  men  were  formed,  and  not 
angels ;  but  that  in  due  process  of  time  men  became  angels, 
and  were  thenceforth  distinguished  as  such,  though  they 
still  retained  their  original  and  primitive  name  of  men. 

VII. — The  Spiritual  Sense  of  the  Word. 

It  is  objected  that  the  view  which  Swedenborg  gives  of 
the  Scriptures  is  absolutely  contrary  to  the  account  of  their 
design  and  efficacy,  which  is  presented  in  that  holy  volume. 
And  as  a  proof  of  this,  the  objector  endeavors  to  form  a 
contrast  between  what  the  apostle  Paul  says  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, taken  in  a  natural  or  general  sense,  and  what  Sweden- 
borg says  of  them  as  to  their  spiritual  or  particular  sense. 
The  apostle  justly  observes  that  "all  Scripture  (meaning  all 
Divine  Scripture)  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God ;  and  is 
profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  in- 
struction in  righteousness;  that  the  man  of  God  may  be 
perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works,"  2  Tim. 
iii.  16,  17.  This  is  nowhere  denied  by  Emanuel  Sweden- 
borg, but  is  rather  demonstrated  and  confirmed  by  the 
whole  tenor  of  his  writings.  Yet  Mr.  Pike,  no  doubt  under 
the  influence  of  a  strong  desire  to  bring  him  into  discredit 
with  the  public,  fancies  and  persuades  himself  that  he  has 
discovered  a  contradiction  to  the  apostle  in  the  following 
words  of  Swedenborg :  "  In  the  Word  there  is  a  spiritual 


24 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


sense  heretofore  unknown :  owing  to  this  sense  the  Word  is 
divinely  inspired,  and  holy  in  every  syllable."  Tr.  Chr. 
Eel.,  193.  "Its  holiness  doth  not  appear  in  its  literal  sense. 
That  the  "Word  of  God  should  not  be  rejected  as  a  common 
trivial  writing,  the  Lord  hath  revealed  its  spiritual  sense." 
Tr.  Chr.  Bel.,  200.  "No  one  heretofore  hath  had  the  least 
idea  that  there  is  in  the  Word  any  spiritual  sense."  Tr. 
Chr.  Rel.,  776.  These  are  detached  and  unconnected  quo- 
tations :  but  the  last  is  mutilated,  and  Mr.  Pike  appears 
willfully  to  have  suppressed  the  qualification  which  imme- 
diately follows,  viz:  "according  to  the  truth  and  reality  in 
which  it  existeth." 

Many  pious  writers  have,  indeed,  supposed  that  there  is 
some  kind  of  a  spiritual  sense  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures ;  but 
they  were  not  apprised  of  the  real  nature  of  that  sense, 
and  therefore  Swedenborg  has  well  observed  that  heretofore 
it  was  unknown  according  to  the  truth  and  reality  in  which  it 
exists.  He  also  explains  the  nature  of  this  spiritual  sense, 
and  in  a  great  variety  of  examples  shows  that  the  literal 
sense  is  unintelligible  without  recourse  to  another  sense, 
which  lies  concealed  within  it,  comparatively  as  the  sotil  of 
a  man  is  concealed  within  his  body.  Thus,  when  it  is  said 
that  the  Lord  will  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power 
and  great  glory,  Matt.  xxiv.  30,  he  proves,  by  numerous 
passages  from  the  Word  itself,  that  by  the  clouds  of  heaven 
is  meant  its  literal  sense,  and  by  power  and  glory  its  spi- 
ritual sense.  Also  when  mention  is  made  of  the  sun  being 
darkened,  the  moon  turned  into  blood  and  the  stars  falling 
from  heaven,  Joel  ii.  31 ;  Matt.  xxiv.  29,  he  clearly  demon- 
strates that  by  such  language  we  are  not  literally  to  under- 
stand the  sun,  moon  and  stars  of  the  visible  firmament,  but 
spiritual  things  corresponding  thereto.  So  again,  when  it 
is  written  that  God  rode  upon  horses,  and  walked  through 
the  sea  with  his  horses,  Hab,  iii.  3,  8, 16;  that  he  will  smite 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  25 

every  horse  with  astonishment,  and  his  rider  with  madness, 
and  will  smite  every  horse  of  the  people  with  blindness, 
Zech.  xii.  4 ;  that  the  tribe  of  Judah  is  a  lion ;  Issachar,  a 
strong  ass ;  Dan,  a  serpent  by  the  way,  an  adder  in  the 
path,  biting  the  horse's  heels,  so  that  his  rider  falls  back- 
ward;  Naphtali,  a  hind  let  loose;  Joseph,  a  fruitful  bough 
near  a  well,  with  branches  running  over  the  wall ;  while 
Benjamin  is  said  to  ravin  as  a  wolf,  Gen.  xlix.  9, 14, 17,  21, 
22,  27;  that  Ephraim  is  a  cake  not  turned,  a  silly  dove 
without  heart,  and  an  heifer  that  is  taught,  Hosea  vii.  8, 
11 ;  chap.  X.  11;  that  the  Jews  in  general  are  serpents  and 
a  generation  of  vipers.  Matt,  xxiii.  33 ;  that  all  the  feath- 
ered fowl  and  beasts  of  the  field  are  invited  to  the  table  of 
the  Lord  God,  where  they  are  to  be  filled  with  horses  and 
chariots,  with  mighty  men,  and  with  all  men  of  war,  to  eat 
fot  till  they  are  full,  and  drink  blood  till  they  are  drunken, 
Ezek.  xxxix.  17  to  20;  Apoc.  xix.  17,  18;  that  Jehovah 
shall  hiss  for  the  fly  of  Egypt,  and  for  the  bee  of  Assyria ; 
that  he  shall  also  shave  with  a  hired  razor,  by  the  king  of 
Assyria,  the  head  and  the  hair  of  the  feet,  Isa.  vii.  18,  20; 
that  a  man  must  hate  his  father  and  mother,  his  wife  and 
children,  brethren  and  sisters,  in  order  to  become  a  disciple 
of  Jesus  Christ,  Luke  xiv.  26;  although  he  is  elsewhere 
commanded  to  honour  and  love  them,  Exod.  xx.  12 ;  John 
xiii.  34,  35;*  that  the  city  New  Jerusalem,  descending  from 
heaven,  is  twelve  thousand  furlongs  in  length,  breadth  and 
height ;  that  is,  fifteen  hundred  miles  each  way,  Apoc.  xxi. 
16;  in  all  th&se  cases,  and  a  hundred  others  which  cannot 
possibly  be  understood  according  to  the  literal  expressions, 
the  same  author  proves,  and  every  intelligent  person  who 
reveres  "the  Divine  Word  must  admit,  that  things  of  a 
spiritual  or  heavenly  nature  arc  intended  to  be  represented 
and  signified  by  them  ;  things  which  do  not  manifestly  ap- 
pear ill  the  language  made  use  of,  but  which  are  concealed 

3 


26 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


therein,  like  jewels  within  a  casket,  and  discoverable  only 
by  the  science  of  correspondences,  which  unfolds  the  true 
spiritual  sense  and  presents  every  part  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures as  worthy  of  their  Divine  Author,  who  himself  says, 
"  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit,  and  they 
are  life,"  John  vi.  63. 

Mr.  Pike,  however,  has  no  idea  of  the  necessity  of  any 
spiritual  sense,  and  seems  disposed  to  rest  contented  with 
the  mere  letter.  He  must  consequently  believe  that  God 
literally  rides  upon  a  horse,  and  upon  the  clouds  ;  that  some 
of  the  sons  of  Jacob  were  lions,  asses,  calves  and  serpents ; 
that  Joseph  was  the  branch  of  a  tree;  that  Benjamin  acted 
the  part  of  a  wolf;  that  Ephraim  was  a  cake,  a  silly  dove 
and  an  heifer ;  that  the  Jews  were  a  nation  of  serpents  and 
vipers ;  that  birds  and  beasts  are  to  dine  at  the  table  of  the 
great  God ;  that  Jehovah  is  to  hiss  for  flies  and  bees,  and 
to  shave  men  with  a  razor  hired  for  the  purpose;  that 
Christians  are  bound  to  treat  their  parents,  wives,  children, 
brothers  and  sisters  with  hatred  and  contempt,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  love  them  as  themselves ;  that  they  are  on 
certain  occasions  to  cut  off  their  right  hands,  and  to  pluck 
out  their  right  eyes ;  that  they  are  to  call  no  man  upon 
earth  either  father  or  master ;  that  paupers  are  saved  in 
preference  to  men  of  property ;  and  that  a  city,  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles  in  length,  in  breadth,  and  in  licight  will  actually 
descend  from  heaven  and  light  upon  the  earth,  according 
to  the  description  given  in  the  book  of  Revelation.  Judg- 
ing, likewise,  that  the  apostles  entertained  the  same  gross 
ideas  with  himself  concerning  the  Scriptures,  he  exultingly 
exclaims,  "  Is  not  that  sense  of  the  Word,  with  which  apos- 
tles and  martyrs  were  acquainted,  and  in  which  they  re- 
joiced, sufficient  for  us?"  Allowing  it  to  be  sufficient 
for  Mr.  Pike  and  his  friends,  does  it  follow  that  no  higher 
and  more  interior  discoveries  of  divine  truth  were  ever  to 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  27 


he  communicated  to  the  churcli  than  those  which  accompa- 
nied the  first  dawning  of  Christianity?  The  apostle  him- 
self says,  "We  know  in  part,  and  we  prophesy  in  part: 
but  when  that  Avhich  is  perfect  is  come,  then  that  which  is 
in  part  shall  be  done  away :  for  now  we  see  through  a  glass 
darkly,"  1  Cor.  xiii.  9,  10,  12. 

VIII. — The  Books  of  the  "Word. 

Swedenborg  is  next  charged  with  "  denying  the  inspira- 
tion of  a  great  part  of  the  Divine  Word,"  because  he  dis- 
tinguishes' between  those  books  which  have  an  internal 
sense,  and  those  which  have  not,  pronouncing  the  former, 
and  not  the  latter,  to  be  of  divine  authority.  On  this  sub- 
ject I  would  ask.  By  what  rule  of  evidence  does  Mr.  Pike 
form  his  judgment  of  a  divine  writing?  Has  he  any  other 
to  appeal  to,  than  the  uncertain  and  fluctuating  decisions 
of  the  Romish  Church  ?  What  foundation  has  he  for  his 
belief  in  the  sanctity  and  divinity  of  any  particular  books, 
except  the  opinions  of  fallible  men,  sitting  to  debate  the 
question  among  themselves,  and  deciding  by  a  majority  of 
votes  at  one  time  that  such  and  such  a  book  is  divine,  and 
at  another  time  that  the  very  same  book  is  destitute  of  that 
character ;  thus  extending  or  diminishing  the  number  of 
inspired  writings,  not  by  a  reference  to  any  internal  evi- 
dence, like  that  of  the  spiritual  sense  contained  within 
them,  nor  to  the  w^ords  of  the  Lord  in  Luke  xxiv.  44, 
which  form  the  rule  of  judgment  in  this  case,  but  by  the 
caprice  of  the  moment,  or  the  influence  of  a  prevailing 
party  in  the  Church  ?*    Even  in  the  Established  Church 

*  It  does  not  appear,  that  even  the  Jews  were  always  agreed  in 
opinion  concerning  the  books  generally  received  by  them  ;  some, 
wliich  are  now  regarded  as  canonical,  being  once  deemed  apocryphal 
or  of  doubtful  authority.  Rabbi  Nathan,  speaking  of  the  Proverbs, 
Solomon's  Song,  and  Ecclesiastes,  observes,  "In  former  times  it  was 


28 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


of  this  country  are  not  the  apocryphal  books,  at  least  seven 
of  them,  recommended  and  read  in  the  national  churches 
equally  with  those  which  are  ackuowleged  to  be  canoni- 
cal ?*    And  with  respect  to  the  New  Testament  in  partic- 

said  of  these  books,  tliat  they  are  apocryphal."  See  Michcelis,  Introd. 
vol.  i.  p.  71. 

*  Tliese  books  are  Tohit,  Judith,  the  book  of  Wisdom,  Ecdesiasiicus 
Buruch,  Histoi-y  of  Susanna,  History  of  Bel  and  the  Dragon.  The 
lessons  appointed  for  the  30th  day  of  September,  and  the  Ist  of 
October,  in  every  year,  are  the  6th  and  8th  chapters  of  the  apocry- 
phal book,  called  Tobit,  wherein  is  detailed  the  mode  how  a  devil  or, 
an  evil  spirit  is  to  be  driven  away  from  a  man  or  a  woman,  namely, 
by  burning  the  heart  and  liver  of  a  fish,  and  making  a  smoke  there- 
with, so  that  the  devil  may  smell  it;  and  as  he  cannot  endure  the 
scent,  this  instructive  lesson,  given  as  from  the  mouth  of  an  angel, 
asserts,  that  the  devil  will  instantly  depart,  and  "  the  party,"  whom 
he  before  troubled  with  his  presence,  "shall  be  no  more  vexed."  Is 
this  suitable  doctrine  for  a  Christian  congregation  ? 

The  book  of  Judith  is  supposed  by  Grotius  to  be  entirely  a  para- 
bolical fiction,  written  in  the  time  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  when  he 
came  into  Judea  to  raise  a  persecution  against  the  Jewish  Church, 
and  that  the  design  of  it  was  to  confirm  the  Jews  under  that  persecu- 
tion in  their  hopes,  that  God  would  send  them  a  deliverance.  And 
he  says,  "That  therein  by  Judith  is  meant  Judea;  by  Bethulia,  the 
temple,  or  house  of  God ;  and  by  the  sword,  which  went  out  from 
thence,  the  prayers  of  the  saints :  That  Nabuchodonosor  doth  there 
denote  the  devil,  and  the  kingdom  of  Assyria  the  devil's  kingdom, 
pride :  That  by  Holofcrnes  is  tliere  meant  the  instrument  or  agent  of 
the  devil  in  that  persecution,  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  who  made  him- 
self master  of  Judea,  that  fair  widow,  so  called,  because  destitute  of 
relief.  That  Eliakim  signifies  God,  who  would  arise  in  her  defence, 
and  at  length  cut  off  that  instrument  of  the  devil,  who  would  have 
corrupted  her." 

There  are  many  other  learned  writer.'!,  who  agree  with  Grotius  in 
the  general,  that  this  book  is  rather  a  parabolical,  than  a  real  history, 
made  for  the  instructing  and  comforting  of  the  people  of  the  Jews 
under  that  figure,  and  not  to  give  them  a  narrative  of  anything 
really  done.    And  their  reason  for  it  is,  that  they  think  it  utterly 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANTTEI.  SWEDEXBORG. 


29 


ular,  what  reason  is  assigned  by  the  Church  of  England  for 
admitting  the  Letters  or  Epistles  of  the  different  apostles 
among  the  books  of  divine  inspiration  ?  None  whatever, 
except  that  of  general  custom,  which  in  itself  is  no  reason 
at  all. 

The  truth  appears  to  be,  that  neither  the  Romish  noi" 
Protestant  Churches  have  to  this  day  clearly  understood 
what  it  is  that  constitutes  a  divine  book ;  they  have  not 
sufficiently  considered  the  purport  of  our  Lord's  words  to 
his  disciples,  when  he  told  them,  that  "all  the  Scrijytnres 
were  written  concerning  himself;"  and  that  the  books,  which 
he  acknowledged  as  the  Scriptures  of  divine  truth,  to  be 
fulfilled  in  his  own  person,  were  those  comprehended  under 
the  titles  of  "the  Law  of  Moses,  the  Prophets,  and  the 
Psalms :"  see  Luke  xxiv.  27,  44.  Thus  our  Lord  has  him- 
self laid  down  the  rule,'by  which  we  are  to  judge  of  those 
books  and  writings,  which  alone  deserve  to  be  honored  by 
the  Church  as  divine,  viz.,  That  in  their  inmost  sense  they 
treat  solely  of  him.  Now  in  many  parts  of  the  books  of 
Moses,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Psalms,  no  allusion  whatever 
is  made,  in  the  literal  sense  of  the  expressions  used,  either 
to  the  Lord  incarnate,  or  to  his  sufferings,  death,  and  resur- 
rection ;  and  yet  he  came  into  the  world  to  fulfill  in  his 
own  person  the  whole  and  every  particular  part  of  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  as  it  is  written,  "  The  Word,  which  in 
the  beginning  was  with  God,  and  was  God,  was  made  flesh, 
and  dwelt  among  us,"  John  i.  1,  14.  And  again,  "All 
things  must  be  fulfilled,  which  were  written  in  the  law  of 
IMoses,  and  in  the  Prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms,  concerning 

inconsistent  with  all  times,  where  it  ha.s  been  endeavored  to  be 
placed,  either  before  or  after  the  captivity  of  the  Jews. 

Grotiiis  and  others  also  think,  that  the  book  called  Banirh  is  a 
mere  fiction  by  some  Ilellenistical  .Jew,  and  contains  nothing  of  a 
real  history.    See  Prideaux's  Connection,  &c.  vol.  i,  p.  52. 
3* 


30 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


me,"  Luke  xxiv.  44.  There  must  therefore  be  an  internal 
spiritual  sense  belouging  to  the  AVord,  uot  apparent  iu  the 
letter;  and  without  a  doubt  the  Lord  must  have  opened 
tlie  understanding  of  his  disciples  to  discern  that  sense, 
according  to  their  measure,  when,  "beginning  at  Moses, 
and  all  the  Prophets,  he  expounded  unto  them  in  all  the 
ScrljAures  the  things  concerning  himself,"  Luke  xxiv.  27. 

The  same  rule,  which  so  well  applies  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, may  also  be  applied  to  the  New ;  and  by  it  we  are 
enabled  to  distinguish  those  books,  which  are  absolutely 
divine  to  the  very  letter,  in  consequence  of  being  dictated 
by  God  himself,  from  those  which,  though  excellent  in 
their  kind,  are  yet  only  the  productions  of  good  and  pious 
men.  Of  the  former  description  are  the  four  Gospels  and 
the  Apocalypse ;  of  the  latter,  are  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
and  the  Letters  which  they  wrote  to  the  different  churches, 
to  encourage  and  confirm  them  in  the  cause  of  Christianity. 

The  reader  may  now  see  the  true  scriptural  ground  and 
reason  why  the  New  Church  discriminates  between  those 
books  which  are  divine,  and  those  which  are  merely  human, 
tliougli  in  many  respects  deservedly  to  be  esteemed  ;  while 
neither  Mr.  Pike,  nor  his  Dissenting  brethren,  nor  the 
Church  of  England,  nor  the  Church  of  Rome,  nor  any 
other  body  of  professing  Christians  so  called,  can  give  any 
reason  whatever,  beyond  that  of  blind  custom,  for  placing 
on  a  level  with  each  other  productions  so  widely  different 
in  their  character  and  complexion,  as  those  are  which  form 
what  is  usually  called  the  Bible, 

IX. — The  Apostolic  Writings. 

But  says  Mr.  Pike,  "  One  of  Swedenborg's  followers,  and 
if  I  do  not  much  mistake  Hindmarsh's  Compendium,  the 
same  gentleman  asserts,  that  Swendenborg  valued  the 
Apostolic  Writings  as  highly  as  any  other  person  ;  but 


WRITINGS  OF  EMAXUEL  SWEDENBOEG.  31 


in  this  he  differed  from  others,  that  he  valued  the  "Word 
of  God  unspeakably  higlier."  And  he  goes  on  to  declare, 
"  that  this  passage  contains  an  assertion  that  is  absolutely 
false :  Christians  value  the  Apostolic  Writings  as  one  of 
the  most  precious  parts  of  the  Word  of  God :  with  what 
truth  then  can  he,  who  asserts  that  they  are  a  mere  human 
composure,  be  said  to  value  them  as  highly  as  those  who 
esteem  them  divine  ?"  In  answer  to  this  I  would  observe, 
that  it  is  one  thing  to  say,  that  certain  books  are  divine, 
while  their  internal  spirituality  is  expressly  denied  ;  and 
another  thing  to  believe  them  to  be  such  in  reality,  by  as- 
cribing to  them  that  which  is  alone  constituent  both  of 
their  sanctity  and  divinity,  namely,  an  internal  sense, 
treating  of  heavenly  and  spiritual  things,  through  the  me- 
dium of  earthly  and  natural  images.  Now  this  is  exactly 
the  case  with  ]Mr.  Pike,  and  those  whose  cause  he  has  under- 
taken to  advocate  ;  they  profess  with  their  lips,  and  say,  that 
the  books  of  Moses,  the  Prophets,  the  Psalms,  and  the  Gos- 
pels, are  divine ;  but  at  the  same  time  they  deny,  that  either 
of  those  books  has  an  internal  spiritual  sense  different  from 
that  of  the  letter.  So  again  they  say,  that  the  Acts  and 
Epistles  of  the  Apostles  are  divine;  and  yet  they  ao- 
knoivledge  they  have  no  higher,  more  interior,  or  other 
sense,  than  that  which  appears  on  the  face  of  them.  Thus 
they  place  all  the  books,  which  usually  go  under  the  names 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  on  the  same  level ;  and 
that  level  they  comparatively  fix  in  the  dust,  because,  by 
denying  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  they  will  not  allow, 
that  it  is  in  heaven,  as  well  as  upon  earth,  though  the 
Psalmist  expressly  says,  "  For  ever,  O  Jehovah,  thy  Word 
is  settled  in  heaven,"  Ps.  cxix.  89,  Those  books,  which  are 
really  divine,  they  strip  of  their  brightest  glory,  their 
spiritual  part ;  and  those,  which  are  merely  human,  they 
recommend  with  the  same  earnestness,  nay  with  much  more 


32 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


zeal  and  industry  than  they  do  the  former,  grounding 
almost  all  their  doctrines  upon,  writing  almost  all  their  es- 
says from,  and  preaching  almost  all  their  sermons  according 
to,  the  maxims  laid  down  by  Paul,  instead  of  deriving 
them  immediately  from  the  divine  sayings  of  his  Lord  and 
Master  Jesus  Christ. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  members  of  the  New  Church, 
being  in  all  cases  desirous  of  "  rendering  to  Csesar  the 
things  which  are  Ctesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  that  are 
God's,"  Matt.  xxii.  21,  and  being  furnished  with  the  most 
decisive  and  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  eternal  distinction 
between  those  writings  which  constitute  the  Word  made 
flesh,  full  of  grace  and  truth,  and  those  of  mere  human 
authority,  however  excellent  in  their  kind,  and  beneficial  to 
society,  acknowledge  with  their  hearts,  and  profess  with 
their  mouths,  their  full  conviction  of  the  superior  excellence 
of  those  books,  which,  according  to  the  Lord's  own  words, 
in  their  inmost  sense  treat  of  him  alone,  and  in  their  in- 
ternal sense  of  the  things  appertaining  to  his  kingdom  both 
in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Other  books,  such  as  the  Apos- 
tolic Acts  and  Epistles,  are  not  rejected,  but  highly  esteemed 
by  the  New  Church,  their  authority  being  frequently  quoted 
in  confirmation  of  the  truth  of  the  Divine  Records.  They 
are  not  indeed  considered  as  books  of  the  Word,  because 
they  are  not  written  by  correspondences,  or  according  to  the 
rules  of  that  science,  which  teaches  that  strict  analogy  sub- 
sisting between  spii-itual  and  natural  things,  and  conse- 
quently have  not  the  genuine  internal  sense,  as  every  book 
written  by  Divine  inspiration  must  have.  But  when  we 
say  this  of  the  Acts,  Epistles,  and  various  other  writings, 
do  we  assert  anything  more,  then  what  is  •  expressly  de- 
clared by  the  members  of  the  Old  Church,  concerning  evei-y 
book  of  the  Word  ?  They  deny,  that  the  Word  possesses 
any  internal  or  spiritual  sense  difierent  from  that  of  the 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL,  SWEDENBORG. 


33 


letter;  while  we  on  the  other  hand  maintain,  that  it  has 
three  senses,  absolutely  distinct  from  each  other,  though 
conjoined  by  correspondences ;  and  that  it  ought  by  no 
means  to  be  confounded,  or  placed  on  a  level,  with  any 
human  productions  whatever,  merely  because  they  happen 
to  be  bound  up  with  it  in  the  same  volume.  If  our  denial 
of  a  spiritual  sense  in  the  books  above  named  be  called  a 
rejection  of  them,  we  can  with  equal  propriety  retort  the 
argument,  and  say,  that  the  Old  Church  rejects  the  Word 
altogether ;  for  it  denies,  that  any  otich  spiritual  sense  as 
that  already  described  exists  at  all.  Until  therefore  the 
opposers  of  the  New  Jerusalem  acknowledge  an  internal 
sense,  at  least  in  some  of  the  books  of  the  Word,  it  must  be 
with  a  very  ill  grace  that  they  bring  against  us  the  charge 
of  rejecting  the  Acts,  Epistles,  and  other  writings ;  since 
the  New  Church  allows  the  same  authority  and  weight  to 
those  books,  which  have  no  internal  sense,  as  the  Old 
Church  does  to  the  whole  Word. 

X. — The  Lord's  Coiming  in  the  Clouds  of  Heaven. 

"  By  the  clouds  of  heaven,  in  which  the  Lord  is  to  come 
a  second  time,  is  meant  the  Word  in  its  literal  sense ;  and 
by  the  power  and  glory,  which  will  accompany  him,  its 
spiritual  sense."  Mr.  Pike,  like  many  others,  who  confine 
their  views  of  the  great  events  predicted  in  the  Word  to 
the  literal  expressions  made  use  of,  without  the  least  idea 
of  any  higher  or  more  interior  sense  belonging  to  them, 
seems  to  entertain  an  opinion,  that  at  the  time  of  the  last 
judgment  the  Lord  will  personally  appear  in  the  clouds  of 
the  atmosphere  with  extraordinary  pomp  and  splendor, 
accompanied  by  an  innumerable  host  of  angels ;  that  he 
will  then  raise  out  of  their  graves  all,  who  had  ever 
lived  since  the  creation  of  the  world ;  that  he  will  again 


34 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


clothe  their  souls  with  their  former  bodies ;  and,  when  col- 
lected together  to  one  place,  that  he  will  pass  judgment 
upon  them,  sentencing  the  good  to  eternal  life  or  heaven, 
and  the  wicked  to  eternal  death  or  hell.  He  also  appears 
to  believe,  that  the  visible  heavens  and  the  habitable  earth, 
though  so  well  adapted  to  answer  all  the  ends  of  creation 
in  perpetuity,  will  at  the  same  time  be  destroyed,  and  that 
a  nfew  heaven  and  a  new  earth  will  be  created  in  their 
stead.  Such  are  the  gross  and  childish  notions,  which  have 
arisen  in  the  Church,  and  are  still  cherished  even  by  its  pro- 
fessed ministers,  from  a  total  misapprehension  of  the  literal 
sense  of  the  Word,  and  from  an  entire  ignorance  of  the  ex- 
istence of  a  spiritual  sense,  now  at  length  happily  revealed  for 
the  use  and  benefit  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  By  this  sense  we 
arc  distinctly  taught,  that  the  coming  of  the  Lord  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven  denotes,  not  his  personal  appearance  in 
the  air,  but  his  appearance  in  the  Word,  which  is  one  with 
himself:  for  as  natural  clouds  obscure  the  direct  light  of 
the  sun,  so  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word  in  a  great  degree 
obscures  its  spiritual  sense,  which  latter  constitutes  the 
power  and  glory  of  divine  truth.  The  coming  of  the  Lord, 
therefore,  is  not  to  destroy  the  visible  things  of  creation, 
but  to  build  up  and  to  establish  a  new  spiritual  church,  in  the 
room  of  that  which  is  fallen ;  thus  to  open  his  Word  to  the 
understanding  of  mankind,  to  make  manifest  its  interior 
treasures  of  wisdom,  and  to  demonstrate  its  astonishing  per- 
fection in  the  sanctity  and  divinity  of  its  contents. 

That  the  clouds  spoken  of  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  are  to 
be  referred  to  the  obscurity  of  divine  truth,  as  it  appears  in 
many  parts  of  the  letter,  rather  than  to  any  natural  exha- 
lations or  vapors  arising  from  the  earth,  and  that  the  term 
f/lory,  brightness,  or  splendor,  is  predicated  of  the  spiritual 
sense,  requires  no  further  confirmation,  than  an  attentive  con- 


WUITIXGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBOKO. 


35 


sidcration  of  the  following  passages  :  "  Jehovah  will  create 
upon  every  dwelling-place  of  mount  Zion,  and  upon  her  as- 
semblies, a  cloud,  and  smoke  by  day,  and  the  shining  of  a 
flaming  fire  by  night :  for  upon  all  the  gloi-y  shall  be  a  de- 
fence (or  covering),"  Isa.  iv.  5.  "  Behold,  Jehovah  rideth 
upon  a  s^vifl  cloud,"  Isa.  xix.  1.  "He  bowed  the  heavens, 
and  came  down ;  and  darkness  was  under  his  feet.  He 
made  darkness  his  secret  place :  his  pavilion  round  about 
him  were  dark  waters,  and  thick  clouds  of  the  skies.  At 
the  brightness  that  was  before  him,  his  thick  clouds  passed," 
Ps.  xviii.  9  to  12.  "  Thy  mercy,  O  Jehovah,  is  in  the 
heavens;  and  thy  faithfulness  reacheth  unto  the  clouds," 
Ps.  xxxvi.  5.  "  Thy  mercy  is  great  unto  the  heavens,  and 
thy  truth  unto  the  clouds,"  Ps.  Ivii.  10;  Ps.  cviii.  4.  "As- 
cribe ye  strength  unto  God :  his  excellency  is  over  Israel, 
and  his  strength  is  in  the  clouds,"  Ps.  Ixviii.  34.  "  Jehovah 
covereth  himself  with  light,  as  with  a  garment ;  he  maketh 
the  clouds  his  chariot,  and  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wind,"  Ps.  civ.  2,  3.  In  the  book  of  Job  also  it  is  written, 
"  He  holdeth  back  the  face  of  his  throne,  and  spreadeth  his 
cloud  upon  it,"  Job.  xxvi.  9. 

In  these  and  many  other  passages  clouds  denote  the 
literal  sense  of  the  Word ;  glory,  brightness,  and  light,  its 
spiritual  sense;  and  riding  upon  a  cloud,  instruction  in 
divine  truth.  The  thick  cloud  and  smoke,  which  appeared 
upon  mount  Sinai,  when  Jehovah  descended  upon  it  in  fire, 
and  gave  the  law  to  Moses,  in  like  manner  signified  the 
litei-al  or  external  sense  of  that  law,  as  the  first  fruits  of 
the  Word ;  as  did  the  cloud  that  covered  the  tent  of  the 
congregation,  when  the  tabernacle  was  completed,  and  the 
glory  of  Jehovah  filled  it.  From  all  which  circumstances 
it  is  evident,  that  the  Lord's  second  coming  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven  with  power  and  great  glory,  can  have  no  other 
meaning,  than  his  more  immediate  presence  in  the  literal 


36 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


sense  of  his  Word,  in  consequence  of  the  revelation  of  its 
spiritual  sense. 

XI. — The  Lord  in  Man,  and  Man  in  the  Lord. 

The  next  quotation,  in  the  form  which  Mr.  Pike  gives  it, 
I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  in  the  writings  of  Sweden- 
borg,  though  great  pains  have  been  taken,  in  searching  for 
it.  He  represents  Swedenborg  as  saying,  "The  Lord  is 
man  :  man  is  the  Lord  ;"  intending  it,  no  doubt,  to  be  un- 
derstood, that  Swedenborg  confounds  the  Creator  and  the 
creature  as  one  and  the  same.  But  this  insidious  attempt 
cannot  succeed  in  the  estimation  of  any  truly  candid  mind. 
Speaking  of  the  reciprocal  conjunction  of  the  Lord  with 
man,  and  of  man  with  the  Lord,  he  very  frequently  indeed 
says,  "  The  Lord  is  in  man,  and  man  is  in  the  Lord,  which 
is  no  more  than  what  the  Lord  himself  declares  in  the 
Gospel,  in  these  words,  "  At  that  day  ye  shall  know,  that  I 
am  in  my  Father,  and  you  in  me,  and  I  in  you,"  John  xiv. 
20.  And  again,  "Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you:  he  that 
abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  Mm,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much 
fruit,"  John  XV.  4,  5.  But  it  is  probable  that  the  quotation 
may  have  been  grounded  upon  a  passage  in  the  Tnie  Chris- 
tian Religion,  n.  101,  etc.,  where  the  author  observes,  and 
clearly  proves,  that  in  Jesus  Christ  "  God  was  made  man, 
and  Man  God,  in  one  person  ;"  and  in  consequence  of  his 
Humanity  being  Divine,  in  him  "  God  is  Man,  and  Man  is 
God,"  n.  102.  The  proofs,  which  he  furnishes  from  the 
Sacred  Scriptures  in  support  of  this  great  truth,  are  too 
abundant  to  be  repeated  in  this  place :  suffice  it  to  observe, 
that  he  who  was  born  in  time,  and  became  the  Saviour  and 
Redeemer  of  mankind,  is  called  hmnanuel,  or  God  with  us, 
Isa.  vii.  14 ;  Matt.  i.  23 :  the  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting 
Father,  Isa.  ix.  6 :  Jehovah  our  God,  was  expected  and 
waited  for,  Isa.  xxv.  9 ;  and  whose  way  was  prepared  by 


AVRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  37 


John  the  Baptist,  Isa.  xl.  3  ;  John  i.  23  :  the  Lord  Jehovah, 
who  was  to  come  with  strong  hand,  and  to  feed  his  flock 
like  a  shepherd,  Isa.  xl.  10,  11 :  the  Branch,  whose  name  is 
also  Jehovah  our  Righteousness,  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6 :  the  Word 
Incarnate,  which  in  the  beginning  was  with  God,  and  was 
God,  and  by  whom  all  things  were  made,  John  i.  1,  3,  14: 
the  very  Father,  whom  Philip  was  so  desirous  of  seeing,  not 
knowing  that  he  then  stood  before  him,  clothed  with  Hu- 
manity, John  xiv.  8,  9 :  "  the  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  Be- 
ginning and  the  Ending,  the  First  and  the  Last,  who  Is, 
who  Was,  and  who  is  to  Come,  the  Almighty,"  Apoc.  i.  8, 
11,  17. 

If  now  Jesus  Christ  be  really  and  truly  that  very  Jeho- 
vah whom  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament  so  uniformly 
describe  as  the  only  Saviour  and  the  only  Redeemer,  Isa. 
xliii.  11 ;  chap.  xlix.  26 ;  Jer.  1.  34 ;  Hos.  xiii.  4 ;  Ps. 
xix.  14;  then  it  follows,  in  the  words  of  an  apostle,  that  he 
alone  is  "the  true  God  and  eternal  life,"  1  John  v.  20;  that 
"  in  him  dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily," 
Coloss.  ii.  9;  and  consequently  that  in  him  "God  is  Man, 
and  Man  is  God." 

XII. — The  Lord  as  a  Sun  above  the  Angelic 
Heavens. 

The  first  point  which  Mr.  Pike  notices  under  this  head  is 
the  declaration  which  Swedenborg  makes  in  his  True  Chris- 
tian  Religion,  25,  and  elscAvhere,  that  "  the  Lord  apjiears  as 
a  sun  above  the  angelic  heavens,  being  manifested,  with  re- 
spect to  his  wisdom,  in  the  proceeding  light  thereof ;  and, 
Avith  respect  to  his  love,  in  the  proceeding  heat.  He  him- 
self is  not  that  sun  ;  but  divine  love  and  divine  wisdom,  in 
their  proximate  emanation  from  him  and  round  about  him, 
appear  as  a  sun  before  the  angels.  Himself  in  the  sun  is  a 
Man,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  both  with  respect  to  the  all- 
4 


38 


A   VINDICATION  OF  THE 


begetting  Divinity,  and  with  respect  to  tlie  Divine  Hu- 
manity." This  account  of  the  Lord  as  a  sun  is  called  by 
Mr.  Pike  a  glaring  and  awful  contradiction  of  the  Holy 
Word ;  and  in  proof  of  his  assertion,  he  quotes  a  few  pas- 
sages from  the  book  of  Job,  one  from  Isaiah  and  another 
from  the  Psalms,  which  speak  of  the  incomprehensible 
greatness  of  the  Divine  Being,  and  do  not  at  all  bear  upon 
the  subject  he  pretends  to  discuss.  It  will  be  sufficient, 
therefore,  to  answer  this  objection  by  producing  the  follow- 
ing passages,  which  clearly  authorize  the  description  given 
by  Swedenborg. 

"The  Lord  God  is  a  sun  and  shield,"  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  11. 
"  Unto  you  that  fear  my  name  shall  the  sun  of  righteousness 
arise  with  healing  in  his  wings,"  Mai.  iv.  2.  "  The  light 
of  the  moon  shall  be  as  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the  light  of 
the  sun  shall  be  seven-fold,  as  the  light  of  seven  days,  in  the 
day  that  Jehovah  bindeth  up  the  breach  of  his  people,  and 
healeth  the  stroke  of  their  wound,"  Isa.  xxx.  26.  "Thy 
sun  shall  no  more  go  down,  neither  shall  thy  moon  with- 
draw itself:  but  Jehovah  shall  be  thine  everlasting  light,"  Isa. 
Ix.  20.  "  When  Jesus  was  transfigured,  his  face  did  shine 
as  the  sun,  and  his  raiment  was  white  as  the  light,"  Matt, 
xvii.  2.  "  The  countenance  of  the  Son  of  Man  was  as  the 
sun  shineth  in  his  strength,"  Apoc.  i.  16.  "  I  saw  an  angel 
standing  in  the  sun,"  Apoc.  xix.  17.  This  was  a  view  of 
the  Lord,  who  is  frequently  in  the  Word  called  an  angel, 
in  the  midst  of  the  sun  of  heaven  ;  for  John  was  then  in 
spiritual,  and  not  in  natural  vision.  The  apostle  Paul  says 
that  "  the  blessed  and  only  Potentate,  the  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords,  who  only  hath  immortality,  dwelleth  in 
the  light  which  no  man  can  approach  unto,"  1  Tim.  vi.  15,  16. 
This  inaccessible  light,  in  which  the  Lord  dwells,  can  surely 
be  no  other  than  the  sun  of  the  spiritual  world.  Wherein, 
then,  consists  the  "daring  impiety"  which  Mr.  Pike  ascribes 


wraTrxGS  of  emanuel  swedenboro.  39 


to  Swedenborg,  in  giving  such  a  representation  of  the  Most 
High,  as  is  warranted  by  the  Sacred  Scriptures  themselves, 
as  well  as  by  the  Apostolic  Writings  ? 

XIII. — A  Divine  Trinity,  not  op  Persons,  but  op 
Essentials  in  One  Person. 
It  is  next  objected  that  Swedenborg  denies  a  trinity  of 
persons  in  the  Godhead,  and  instead  thereof  maintains  a 
trinity  of  essentials  in  one  divine  person,  teaching  that  the 
tvhole  trinity,  or  as  the  apostle  Paul  expresses  it,  all  the  full- 
ness of  the  Godhead,  is  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  invisible  Divinity 
being  what  is  called  the  Father,  the  visible  Humanity  the 
Son,  and  the  proceeding  influence  or  operation  the  Holy 
Spirit.  This  doctrine,  though  manifestly  the  true  doctrine 
of  the  Sacred  Sci-iptures  throughout,  is  violently  opposed 
by  ]\Ir.  Pike,  who  quotes  a  few  passages  to  show  that  there 
is  a  distinction  in  the  divine  nature  pointed  out  by  the  terms 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit;  and  then  ignorantly  con- 
cludes that  he  has  proved  a  trinity  of  persons.  He  knows 
there  is  no  such  expression  as  a  trinity  of  persons  in  any 
part  of  the  Scriptures ;  and  he  ought  to  know  that  such  a 
trinity  is  incompatible  with  the  divine  unity:  for  if  each 
person,  separately  considered,  be  God  and  Lord,  then  there 
must  of  necessity  be  three  Gods  and  tliree  Lords ;  and  it 
avails  nothing  to  say  that  the  three  persons  are  still  only 
one  God,  when  the  whole  tenor  of  the  doctrine,  as  well  as 
its  plain  language,  labors  to  incidcate  the  idea  of  three  Gods. 
If  the  Father  be  not  the  Son,  nor  any  part  of  the  Son,  and 
yet  is  a  whole  and  complete  God  in  himself;  and  if  the  Son 
be  not  the  Fatlier,  nor  any  part  of  the  Father,  and  yet  is  a 
whole  and  complete  God  also  in  himself ;  and  if  again  the 
same  may  be  said  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  respect  to  the  other 
two ;  then  how,  in  the  name  of  wonder  and  common  sense, 
can  the  whole  three  together  constitute  only  one  God? 


40 


A  VINDICATION  OP  THE 


The  fact  is,  Mr.  Pike  believes  in  three  Gods ;  and  so  does 
every  tripersonalist,  who,  by  false  reasonings  and  perverse 
interpretations  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  confirms  himself 
in  the  idea  that  there  is  one  divine  jierson  or  being  called 
God  the  Father,  another  called  God  the  Son,  and  a  third 
called  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  who  then  worships  them 
one  after  another,  but  for  the  most  part  one  for  the  sake  of 
another. 

Well  (Mr.  Pike  may  exclaim),  but  is  it  not  expressly 
written,  "  God  said,  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after 
our  likeness?"  Gen.  i.  26.  "The  Lord  God  said.  Behold, 
the  man  is  become  (Heb.  was)  as  one  of  us,"  Gen.  iii.  22. 
From  these  two  passages  he  reasons  in  favour  of  a  trin  'dy 
of  persons,  just  as  if  the  expressions  us  and  our  necessarily 
implied  three,  and  no  more;  when  yet  everybody  knows, 
that  the  terms  will  equally  embrace  three,  three  hundred  or 
three  thousand.  Tliis  part  of  the  argument  therefore  falls 
to  the  ground,  and  is  lost  in  the  dust  of  a  mere  quibble. 

What  is  really  meant  by  the  term  iis,  when  used  by  the 
one  only  God,  the  Creator  and  Regenerator  of  man,  is  well 
explained  by  Emanuel  Swedenborg  in  his  illustrations  of 
the  first  and  third  chapters  of  Genesis;  where  he  clearly 
proves,  that  the  subject  treated  of  in  the  passages  alluded 
to  is  not  the  first  creation  or  first  birth  of  man  as  to  his 
natural  body,  but  his  new  birth,  or  the  regeneration  of  his 
spirit,  and  the  decline  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church.  With 
this  view  he  describes  the  nature  of  the  communication, 
which  subsists  between  the  regenerate  man  and  the  angels 
of  heaven,  who  in  the  Word  are  frequently  called  Gods. 
On  the  first  passage.  Gen.  i.  26,  he  observes,  that  the  Lord 
governs  and  regenerates  man  through  the  ministry  of 
angels  and  spirits,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  at  first  said  in 
the  plural,  "Let  %is  make  man  in  our  image;"  but  as  it  is 
the  Lord  alone  who  actually  governs  and  disposes  accord- 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  41 


ing  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  divine  wisdom,  therefore  in 
tlie  following  verse  it  is  said  in  the  singular,  "80  God 
created  man  in  his  own  image  ;  in  the  image  of  God  created 
he  him  ;  male  and  female  created  he  them."  The  Lord 
also  declares  in  Isaiah,  "  I  Jehovah  make  all  things,  stretch- 
ing forth  the  heavens  alone,  and  spreading  abroad  the  earth 
by  myself,"  chap.  xliv.  24.  Mr.  Pike,  however,  insists, 
that  Jehovah  did  7iot  create  man  by  his  oum  wisdom,  judg- 
ment, and  power,  but  was  assisted  in  the  work  by  hvo  others 
equal  to  himself,  whose  advice  he  craved ;  which  again  is  a 
manifest  avowal  of  the  existence  of  three  Gods  ;  a  dilemma, 
into  which  he  is  continually  falling,  and  from  which  he 
cannot  possibly  extricate  himself,  while  he  maintains  a 
trinity  of  divine  beings  or  persons :  and  I  defy  him  to  stir 
a  single  step  in  the  controversy  Avithout  showing  this  cloven 
foot.  Well  may  the  prophet  exclaim,  with  indignation  at 
the  very  thought  of  such  impiety  and  insanity,  "Who  hath 
directed  the  spirit  of  Jehovah,  or  being  his  counselor  taught 
him  ?  With  wJwm  took  he  counsel,  and  who  instructed 
him,  and  taught  him  in  the  path  of  judgment,  and  taught 
him  knowledge,  and  showed  to  him  the  way  of  understand- 
ing?" Isa.  xl.  13,  14. 

On  the  next  passage.  Gen.  iii.  22,  where  Jehovah  God 
says,  "  Behold,  the  man  was  as  one  of  us,  in  knowing  good 
and  evil,"  it  may  be  remarked  (still  keeping  in  mind,  as 
before  observed,  that  the  subject  treated  of  is  the  decline 
of  the  Most  Ancient  Church)  that  it  does  not  at  all  allude 
to  any  second  or  third  person  in  the  divine  trinity,  but  to 
the  angels  of  heaven,  who  by  reason  of  their  great  power, 
in  consequence  of  their  reception  of  divine  truths,  are  fre- 
quently called  Gods,  as  in  the  Psalms,  "Give  unto  Jehovah, 
0  ye  mighty  (Heb.  0  ye  sons  of  the  Gods),  give  unto 
Jehovah  glory  and  strength,"  Ps.  xxix.  1.  "God  standeth 
in  the  congregation  of  God :  he  judgeth  among  the  Gods," 
4  * 


42 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


Ps.  Ixxxii.  1.  Again,  "Who  in  the  heaven  can  be  com- 
pared unto  Jehovah  ?  who  among  the  sons  of  the  Gods  can 
be  likened  unto  Jehovah  ?"  Ps.  Ixxxix.  6.  "Oh  give  thanks 
unto  the  God  of  Gods ;  oh  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord  of 
Lords,"  Ps.  cxxxvi.  2,  3.  And  in  another  place,  "I  will 
praise  thee  with  my  whole  heart,  before  the  Gods  will  I 
sing  praise  unto  thee,"  Ps.  cxxxviii.  1.  Even  men,  so  far 
as  they  are  possessed  of  power,  are  likewise  called  Gods,  as 
in  Ps.  Ixxxii.  6 ;  John  x.  34,  35.  Hence  Moses  is  called 
a  God  to  Pharaoh,  Ex.  vii.  1 ;  the  term  God  in  this  place, 
as  well  as  in  those  which  immediately  refer  to  the  Divine 
Being  himself,  being  in  the  plural  number,  Elohim.  Since 
then  angels  are  regarded  as  Gods,  when  any  thing  is  said 
to  be  effected  by  their  ministry,  the  plural  number  is  used, 
to  show  that  the  Lord  acts  through  the  medium  of  subordi- 
nate agents  or  instruments,  as  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis, 
where  the  regeneration  of  man,  or  the  formation  of  him 
into  a  new  creature,  is  the  subject  treated  of.  And  again 
in  the  third  chapter,  where  allusion  is  made  to  the  state  of 
the  celestial  man,  who  as  a  man,  a  mere  finite  creature, 
cannot  justly  be  compared  with  the  Lord,  but  may  with 
the  angels,  who  were  themselves  once  men,  it  is  with  great 
propriety  said,  that  man  "was  as  one  of  us  in  knowing  good 
and  evil ;"  in  other  words,  that  he  was  once  wise  and  intel- 
ligent, like  an  angel. 

In  order  to  prove  a  trinity  of  persons,  Mr.  Pike  quotes  a 
variety  of  passages  from  the  Word,  and  from  the  Apostolic 
Epistles,  all  of  which,  it  is  true,  announce  a  distinction  be- 
tween the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  some  of  them  extend  it 
to  tlie  Holy  Spirit ;  but  not  one  of  them  makes  the  least 
mention  of  a  trinity  of  persons,  which  yet  is  the  very  point 
he  is  aiming  at,  and  for  which  purpose  he  ransacks  as  it 
were  the  whole  volume  of  the  New  Testament,  yet  without 
succeeding  to  his  wish.    The  first  he  selects  is  this,  "Go  ye, 


AVniTIXGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO. 


43 


teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  Matt,  xxviii.  20; 
evidently  pointing  out  a  distinction  in  the  divine  nature, 
not  of  pertions,  as  Mr.  Pike  and  others  would  have  it,  to  the 
destruction  of  the  divine  unity,  but  of  essentials  in  the 
single  person  of  the  Lord,  as  the  verse  immediately  follow- 
ing clearly  proclaims,  and  as  Swedenborg  with  every  truly 
rational  man  most  cheerfully  affirms.  Go,  says  our  Lord, 
and  baptize  all  nations,  "teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  rjou ;  and  lo,  I  am  with 
you  always  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  or  consumma- 
tion of  the  age,  ver.  21 :  being  as  much  as  to  say,  that  he 
himself  their  omnipresent  Lefjislator  was  all  that  was  meant 
by  the  terras  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  in  whose  name 
they  were  to  baptize  and  teach.  Accordingly  his  disciples 
went  forth  agreeably  to  his  Word,  and  baptized  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  only,  Acts  ii.  38;  chap.  viii.  16 ;  chap.  x.  48 ;  chap, 
xix.  5.  In  his  name  only  they  healed  the  lame  man.  Acts 
iii.  6,  16;  chap.  iv.  10  to  12:  in  his  name  only  a  spirit  of 
divination  was  cast  out  of  a  young  woman,  Acts  xvi.  18: 
and  in  his  name  only  all  their  wonderful  acts  were  per- 
formed. 

That  there  is  a  divine  trinity  is  plainly  declared  in  the 
Sacred  Scriptures.  But  in  what  sense  this  trinity  is  to  be 
understood,  whether  as  consisting  of  three  divine  persons, 
each  of  whom  singly  and  separately  is  God,  which  is  mani- 
festly the  same  thing  as  an  acknowledgment  of  three  Gods ; 
or  whether  it  is  to  be  viewed  in  some  other  way  more  con- 
sistent with  the  Scriptures,  with  the  divine  unity,  and  with 
sound  reason,  is  the  point  at  issue  between  the  Kew  Church 
and  the  Old,  between  the  angels  of  IMichael  and  the  angels 
of  the  dragon,  Apoc.  xii.  7.  It  is  asserted  by  the  Old 
Church,  that  the  trinity  consists  of  three  persons,  as  so 
many  distinct  beings ;  and  that  these  three  are  nevertheless 


44 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


one.  To  tlie  question,  How  can  three  be  one  ?  the  answer 
is,  that  it  is  not  a  matter  of  reason,  but  of  revelation ;  that 
it  is  a  mystery  not  to  be  unfolded,  nor  even  examined  by  a 
curious  eye ;  and  that  the  understanding  ought  to  be  kept 
in  a  state  of  blind  obedience  to  faith.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  maintained  by  the  New  Church,  that  the  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Spirit,  are  three  essentials  of  One  God,  like  soul, 
body,  and  operation  in  man ;  also  that  the  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  is  that  One  God ;  and  that  this  view  of  the  divine 
trinity  is  alike  scriptural,  rational,  and  competent  to  ex- 
plain, in  the  most  satisfactory  manner,  all  that  is  written 
concerning  the  intercourse  and  union  subsisting  between 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  concerning  the  mission  or  pro- 
ceeding of  the  Holy  Spirit  from  both. 

For  the  sake  of  illustration,  let  us  for  a  few  moments  at- 
tend to  the  striking  analogy  and  resemblance,  which  are 
discoverable  in  the  divine  and  in  the  human  trinity.  The 
Father  is  represented  in  the  Word  as  invisible,  and  inacces- 
sible except  through  the  medium  of  the  Son  :  so  the  human 
soul  is  invisible,  and  inaccessible  except  through  the  medium 
of  its  body.  The  Son  is  described  as  the  manifestation, 
form,  and  image  of  the  Father,  by  whom  the  will  of  the 
Father  is  made  known,  and  who  doeth  the  works  of  the 
Father :  so  the  body  is  in  like  manner  the  manifestation, 
form,  and  image  of  the  soul,  by  which  the  will  of  the  soul 
is  made  known,  and  which  doeth  the  works  of  the  soul. 
And  the  Holy  Spirit  is  said  to  proceed  from  the  Father  and 
the  Son  jointly  :  so  the  operations  of  the  soul  and  the  body 
together  may  be  said  to  proceed  from  both,  and  to  be  as  it 
were  sent  forth  from  them  into  outward  nature.  Again, 
the  Father  is  said  to  dwell  in  the  Son,  just  as  the  soul  dwells 
in  the  body :  and  the  Son  is  said  to  possess  all  th  ings  be- 
longing to  the  Father,  to  have  received  and  to  exercise  all 
his  power,  and  in  short  to  be  the  very  habitation  of  all  the 


WRITINGS  or  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  45 


fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily ;  just  as  the  body  may  be 
said  to  possess,  to  have  received,  and  to  exercise  all  the 
powers  and  energies  of  the  soul,  and  in  a  similar  manner 
to  be  the  very  seat,  abode,  or  habitation  of  the  whole  soul. 
The  Son  is  said  to  have  been  sent  into  the  world  by  the 
Father,  because  the  humanity  was  conceived  by  the  power 
of  the  Divinity.  He  is  also  said  to  have  life  in  himself,  just 
as  the  Father  hath,  because  the  Divinity  and  Humanity 
are  united  in  one  person,  as  the  soul  and  body  are  united  in 
one  man,  whatsoever  is  done  by  the  one  being  at  the  same 
time  done  by  the  other  also.  Hence,  when  the  prophet 
Isaiah  predicted  the  birth  of  the  Son,  he  declared  that  very 
offspring  of  the  Father  to  be,  in  a  certain  respect,  the  ever- 
lasting  Father  himself,  Isa.  ix.  6,  because  they  are  insepara- 
bly one,  like  the  soul  and  body  of  a  man,  though  still  capa- 
ble of  being  distinguished,  as  the  soul  is  distinguishable 
from  the  body.  Hence,  also,  when  Philip  desired  to  see 
the  Father,  supposing  him  to  be  a  different  Being  from  the 
Lord,  whom  he  then  addressed,  he  received  for  answer, 
"  He  that  hath  seen  me,  hath  seen  the  Father,"  John  xiv. 
9  :  as  much  as  to  say,  "  He  that  hath  seen  the  Humanity, 
hath  seen  all  that  can  be  seen  of  the  Divinity."  And  hence 
again  the  Son  of  Man,  when  seen  by  John  in  the  midst  of 
the  seven  golden  candlesticks,  saith,  "I  am  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  Ending,  the  First  and  the 
Last,  who  Was,  who  Is,  and  who  Is  To  Come,  the  Almighty," 
Apoc,  i.  8,  11,  17. 

That  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  virtue  or  operation  proceed- 
ing immediately  from  the  Lord,  that  is,  from  the  Humanity 
and  Divinity  united,  is  plain  from  this  circumstance,  that 
after  his  resurrection,  "  he  breathed  on  his  disciples,  and 
saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Spirit,"  John  xx.  22: 
from  which  it  evidently  follows,  that  the  breath  or  divine 
truth  proceeding  from  him  is  what  is  properly  called  the 


46 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


Hohj  Spirit.  This  divine  truth  proceeding  from  his  Hu- 
manity, wJieii  glorified,  is  in  certain  respects  distinguisliable 
from  that  divine  truth,  which  he  uttered,  and  which  he  him- 
self was,  before  his  glorification,  that  is,  before  his  crucifixion 
and  resurrection :  on  which  account  it  is  written,  after  he 
liad  given  a  general  invitation  to  the  people  to  come  unto 
him,  and  to  drink  living  water,  "  But  this  spake  he  of  the 
S])irit,  which  they  that  believe  on  him  should  receive :  for 
the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet,  because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet 
glorified,"  John  vii.  39.  And  further,  as  everything  pro- 
ceeding from  the  Lord  must  partake  of  his  divine  quality, 
and  thus  be  in  a  manner  identified  with  him,  Ave  therefore 
find,  that  when  in  one  place,  John  xvi.  7,  he  promises  to 
send  the  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  after  his  departure 
from  the  world,  and  in  another  place,  John  xiv.  16,  17,  en- 
gages that  the  Father  shall  send  him,  he  at  length  plainly 
declares,  that  he  himself,  as  the  fountain  and  source  of  all 
divine  truth,  is  that  very  Comforter,  that  same  Holy  Spirit, 
of  whom  he  was  speaking :  "  I  will  not  leave  you  comfort- 
less (says  he) ;  I  will  come  to  you,"  John  xiv.  18.  And 
lastly,  as  the  most  undeniable  testimony,  that  both  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  together  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  are 
identified  as  one  and  the  same  Comforter,  that  was  promised 
to  visit  and  to  dwell  with  and  in  his  people,  our  Lord  in 
answer  to  Judas,  says,  "  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my 
words ;  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto 
him,  and  make  our  abode  ivith  him,"  John  xiv.  23. 

All  this  Mr.  Pike  flatly  denies,  p.  11,  because  he  cannot 
comprehend  how  "the  Father  can  be  at  once  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,"  or  how  the  three  essentials  of  Di- 
vinity and  Humanity,  and  Operation,  can  be  constituent 
of  one  God,  as  the  soul,  body,  and  operation  are  of  one 
man.  But  he  finds  no  difficulty  in  admitting,  that  three 
persons,  each  of  whom  is  a  separate  and  distinct  God,  form 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  47 


altogether  only  one  God  ;  as  if  the  multijdication  of  Gods  had 
the  effect  of  dmiiiifhing  their  number!  a  mystery  well 
Avorthy  of  such  a  faith,  which  shuns  the  light  of  truth,  and 
closes  the  eye  of  the  understanding  in  worse  than  Egyptian 
darkness.  V 

Because  the  Scriptures,  according  to  the  Eastern  manner 
of  personifying  and  embodying  things,  principles,  and  es- 
sences, declare,  that  God  sent  his  Son  into  the  world,  and 
that  Jesus  came  down  from  heaven  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  him,  it  is  inferred,  that  they  must  of  necessity  be 
two  jiersons :  *  for  were  it  otherwise,  says  Mr.  Pike,  and 
were  Jesus  absolutely  God  the  Father  himself,  then  he 
would  have  come  unsent,  and  he  should  have  said,  "  Sent  by 
no  one,  I  came  from  heaven  to  do  my  own  will."  However 
strange  it  may  appear  to  those,  who  are  unacquainted  with 
the  true  nature  of  divine  language,  which  is  infinitely  supe- 
rior to  the  petty  rules  of  grammar,  on  which  I  observe  Mr. 
Pike,  Mr.  Roby,  wli^)m  he  has  pressed  into  his  service,  Mr. 
Grundy,  Dr.  Priestly,  Dr.  Bayley,  and  other  opposers  of 
the  New  Church,  have  built  their  respective  systems,  it  is  a 
fact  equally  founded  upon  the  Old  Testament,  and  testified 
by  our  Lord  himself  in  the  New,  that  the  sender  and  the  per- 
son sent  are  in  this  case  one  and  the  same  Divine  Being.  It 
is  acknowledged  on  all  hands,  that  Jehovah  the  Father  is  the 
sender,  and  that  the  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of  the  world  is 
the  person  se7it.  Now  Jehovah  saith  of  himself,  "  I  am  Je- 
hovah, and  beside  me  there  is  no  Saviour,"  Isa.  xliii.  11. 
"  I  Jehovah  am  thy  Saviour  and  Redeemer,"  Isa.  xlix.  26. 

*The  objection,  which  is  here  noticed,  was  long  ago  urged  by  Dr. 
Priestly,  and  has  been  repeated  by  others  since  his  time.  Indeed  tlie 
greater  part  of  Mr.  Pike's  objections  have  been  answered  over  and 
over  again.  See  the  Rev.  J.  Clowe's  Letters  to  the  Rev.  J.  Grundy, 
and  to  the  Eev.  W.  Roby ;  also  the  Author's  Letters  to  Dr.  Priestly, 
and  his  Seal  upon  the  lips  of  Unitarians  and  'Trinitarians,  etc. 


48 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


The  prophet  also,  addressing  Jehovah,  saith,  "Doubtless 
thou  art  our  Father,  though  Abraham  be  ignorant  of  us, 
and  Israel  acknowledge  us  not .-  thou,  0  Jehovah,  art  our 
Father,  our  Redeemer ;  thy  name  is  from  everlasting,"  Isa. 
Ixiii.  16.  Again,  Jesus  said  unto  the  Jejfs,  "  He  that  sent 
me,  is  "with  r)ie :  the  Father  hath  not  left  me  alone,"  John 
viii.  29.  "  The  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  m  him,"  John  x.  38. 
"  He  that  believeth  on  me,  believeth  not  on  me  (separately 
from  the  Father),  but  on  /lim  that  sent  me :  and  he  that 
seeth  me,  seeth  him  that  sent  me,"  John  xii.  44,  45.  "  I 
and  the  Father  are  07ie,"  John  x.  30.  Here  the  very  doc- 
trine objected  to  is  plainly  asserted  by  our  Lord,  viz.,  that 
he  and  the  Father,  who  sent  him,  are  one  and  the  same. 
Not  that  the  Humanity  was  in  all  respects  the  same  as  the 
Divinity ;  for  the  former  was  visible,  while  the  latter  was 
invisible ;  but  both  together  constituted  one  divine  person, 
of  which  the  Divinity  or  Father  was  the  soul,  and  the  Hu- 
manity or  Son  was  the  body ;  and  we  have  already  seen, 
that  these  two,  though  distinguished  by  name,  are  regarded 
in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  as  One  God,  manifested  in  the 
flesh,  for  the  redemption  and  salvation  of  his  creatures. 

It  is  further  insisted  upon,  by  those  who  deny  the  Father 
and  the  Son  to  be  one  person,  like  the  soul  and  body  in 
man,  that  it  is  a  "palpable  absurdity"  to  suppose,  that  these 
two,  the  soul  and  the  body,  can  address  each  other,  and 
speak  of  each  other,  as  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  known 
to  do.  The  answer  to  this  is  short  and  plain.  It  is  the 
usual  language  of  divine  inspiration,  which,  as  before  ob- 
served, personifies  things,  principles,  and  states  of  life,  giv- 
ing to  each  the  appearance  of  a  separate  existence,  when 
at  the  same  time  it  is  only  intended  to  show,  in  a  sensible 
manner,  the  nature  of  the  intercourse  and  communication 
between  things  internal  and  things  external,  belonging  to 
one  and  the  same  individual.    Hence  David  with  his  ex- 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


49 


ternal  addresses  his  internal  in  the  following  manner: 
"Ble«s  Jehovah,  0  my  soul;  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless 
his  holy  name.  Bless  Jeliovah,  0  my  soul,  and  forget  not 
all  his  benefits;  who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities;  who 
healeth  all  thy  diseases;  who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  de- 
struction ;  who  crowneth  thee  with  loving-kindness  and 
tender  mercies ;  who  satisfieth  thy  mouth  with  good  things, 
so  that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagles,"  Ps.  ciii.  1  to 
5.  "Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul?  And  why  art 
thou  disquieted  within  mef  Ps.  xlii.  5,  11;  Ps.  xliii.  5. 
"Eeturn  to  thy  rest,  0  my  soul;  for  Jehovah  hath  dealt 
bountifully  with  thee,"  Ps.  cxvi.  7.  "Praise  Jehovah,  0 
my  soul,"  Ps.  cxlvi.  1.  Deborah  also,  in  her  song  after  the 
death  of  Sisera,  addresses  her  own  soul,  saying,  "  0  my  soul, 
thou  hast  trodden  down  strength,"  Judg.  v.  21.  And  old 
Jacob,  in  his  prophetic  denunciation  of  Simeon  and  Levi, 
whose  conduct  had  sorely  grieved  him,  says,  "  0  my  soul, 
come  not  thou  into  their  secret ;  unto  their  assembly,  mine 
honor,  be  not  thou  united,"  Gen.  xlix.  6.  The  same  mode 
of  speech  is  adopted  in  the  parable  of  the  rich  man,  who 
was  covetous,  and  desirous  of  enlarging  his  barns :  after 
resolving  on  this  measure,  he  adds,  "  I  will  say  to  my  soul, 
Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years ;  take 
thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,"  Luke  xii.  19. 

In  these  passages  David,  Deborah,  Jacob,  and  the  rich 
man,  address  theii-  oivn  souls  in  the  plainest  terms ;  yet  who, 
besides  Mr.  Pike  and  his  friends,  ever  supposed,  that  their 
souls  were  different  and  distinct  persons  from  their  bodies, 
or  from  themselves?  If  there  be  any  "palpable  absurdity" 
in  the  case,  it  must  lie  on  the  side  of  those  gentlemen,  who, 
having  these  examples  before  their  eyes,  still  ignorantly 
and  obstinately  assert,  that  it  is  foreign  to  the  nature  of 
divine  language  to  represent  the  soul  and  body  of  a  man 
as  conversing  with  and  addi-cssing  each  other,  in  all  re- 
5 


50 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


spects  as  if  they  were  two  distinct  beings,  when  at  the  same 
time  it  is  well  known,  that  both  together  constitute  only 
one  individual.  In  like  manner,  when  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures represent  the  Son  as  introducing  to  the  Father,  as 
mediating  and  interceding  with  him  for  the  human  race, 
and  also  as  sitting  at  his  right  hand,  they  conceive  it  im- 
possible, that  any  other  idea  can  be  attached  to  the  terms, 
than  what  they  usually  and  literally  import,  namely,  a 
personal  distinction  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  :  and 
hence  they  reason,  as  Mr.  Pike  has  done,  "If  Jesus  were 
the  Father,  with  whom  would  he  intercede?  To  what 
God  would  he  introduce  those  he  saves  ?  On  the  throne 
of  what  Father  would  he  have  sat  down  ?"  Such  vain  and 
idle  questions  in  the  first  place  betray  ignorance  of  the 
true  scriptural  sense  of  mediation  and  intercession,  which 
are  terms  expressive  of  the  divine  mercy,  clemency,  and 
grace  of  One  God  in  his  Humanity ;  in  reference  to  which 
circumstance  the  Son  is  called  a  Mediator  and  Intercessor 
with  the  Father,  because  the  Humanity  is  the  only  Medium 
whereby  man  has  access  to  the  divine  nature,  and  by  which 
he  receives  the  blessings  of  redemption  and  salvation. 
Intercession  is  perpetual  mediation  in  the  way  thus  de- 
scribed. In  the  next  place,  the  questions  above  quoted  are 
grounded  on  the  false  supposition,  that  there  is  some  God 
greater  than  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  men  are  to  be  intro- 
duced by  him,  in  order  that  they  may  be  completely  happy  ; 
as  if  the  Saviour  himself  had  not  a  sufiiciency  of  Divinity 
for  his  share,  when  portioned  out  by  these  tri personal ists, 
to  bless  with  final  and  eternal  salvation  those  who  had 
worshiped  him  as  their  God !  A  shameful  indignity  this 
offered  to  the  person  and  character  of  that  Lord,  who  came 
into  the  world  to  effect  the  redemption  and  salvation  of  his 
own  people,  by  his  own  divine  arm,  Isa.  Ixiii,  5,  8 ;  whom 
Peter  addressed,  saying,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  thou 


WRITINGS  OF  EMAJiTCEL  SWEDEJTBOEG.  51 


hast  the  words  of  eternal  life,"  John  vi.  68 :  and  who  him- 
self says  in  the  Gospel,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ve  that  labour, 
and  are  heavy-laden,  and  1  will  give  you  rent,"  Matt.  xi.  2;^ ; 
"I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life,"  John  xiv.  6  ; 
"I  and  my  Father  are  one,"  John  x.  30.  "I  am  Alpha 
and  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End,  the  Fird  and  the 
Last,"  Apoc.  xxii.  13. 

This  doctrine  concerning  the  person  of  the  Lord,  and 
his  identity  with  Jehovah  the  Father  himself,  from  whom 
proceeds  the  Holy  Spirit  of  truth,  is  the  only  scriptural 
and  rational  view  that  can  be  taken  of  the  divine  trinity, 
the  only  one  also  that  is  consistent  with  the  divine  unity, 
being  free  from  those  manifold  contradictions  and  absurdi- 
ties, which  necessarily  attend  the  tripersonal  scheme.  Yet 
excellent  as  it  is,  and  worthy  of  universal  reception,  it  has 
to  sustain  the  attacks  of  many  enemies,  though  it  can  never 
be  combated  with  any  reasonable  hope  of  success.  Romish 
priests,  ministers  of  the  Church  of  England,  Methodists, 
Arminians,  Calvinists,  Unitarians,  and  Baptists,  have  all 
concurred  in  assailing  the  doctrines  of  the  ]!few  Church, 
and  especially  that  of  the  divine  trinity  in  one  person ;  but 
hitherto  their  united  efforts  have  in  vain  been  exerted  to 
rob  the  Saviour  of  his  exclusive  Divinity,  and  to  remove 
from  his  head  that  crown  of  glory,  which  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures have  awarded  him,  not  as  a  Joint  pomemm  in  common 
with  two  others,  but  as  his  own  sole  right,  in  quality  of 
Creator,  Redeemer,  and  Regenerator  of  mankind.  These 
kings  of  the  earth,  these  rulers  of  the  Church,  have  in  their 
rage  imagined  a  vain  thing ;  they  have  set  themselves  in 
array,  they  have  taken  counsel  together,  against  Jehovah, 
and  against  his  Anointed,  that  is,  against  the  Divine 
Essence  and  the  Divine  Form,  the  Divinity  and  the  Hu- 
manity, united  as  they  are  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ. 
But  their  bands  have  been  broken  asunder,  their  cords 


52 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


have  been  cast  away,  and  the  lawful  Sovereign  of  the 
Church  has  been  placed  upon  the  holy  hill  of  Zion,  where 
he  sliall  continue  to  reign,  until  the  heathen  become  his 
inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  his  pos- 
session. Ps.  ii.  1  to  8.* 

XIV. — The  Lord  became  the  Wokd  even  in  its 
Ultimates. 

Another  gross  misrepresentation,  which  Mr.  Pike  has 
been  guilty  of,  in  mutilating  the  language  of  Swedenborg 
and  omitting  those  very  expressions  on  which  his  argument 
hinges,  occurs  where  speaking  of  Swedenborg.  Mr.  Pike 
says,  "  This  man  contradicts  the  Scriptures  again  by  assert- 
ing that  Christ  became  the  Word  by  fulfilling  what  was 
written  there."  But  a .  fraud  of  this  kind,  committed  on 
the  unsuspecting  reader  apparently  for  the  purpose  of  bias- 
ing his  mind  against  the  author  in  question,  and  against 
doctrines  which  can  never  be  overthrown,  must,  when  de- 
tected, like  every  ungenerous  act,  return  without  a  blessing 

*  The  translators  of  the  Bible,  by  adding  the  word  saying  at  the 
end  of  verse  2  of  the  2d  Psalm,  have  put  the  language  contained  in 
the  3d  verse  into  the  mouth  of  the  Lord's  enemies,  and  made  them  to 
say,  "Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their  cords 
from  us."  But  this  is  a  plain  perversion  of  the  original  text,  and 
generates  an  idea  that  was  never  intended  to  be  excited  by  the  in- 
spired penman.  And  it  may  well  be  asked,  What  bands,  what  cords 
have  Jehovah  and  his  Anointed  prepared  for  any  of  the  children  of 
men,  that  require  to  be  burst  asunder?  The  truth  is,  that  the  false 
and  evil  principles,  represented  by  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the 
rulers  of  the  people,  do  actually  combine  together  to  overthrow  the 
genuine  doctrine  of  the  Divinity  of  the  Lord's  Humanity,  and  thus 
to  deprive  his  real  worshipers  of  that  spiritual  liberty  and  happi- 
ness, which  result  from  the  acknowledgment  and  possession  of  the 
truth,  John  viii.  32.  It  is  therefore  against  those  spiritual  enemies, 
that  the  Psalmist,  in  the  name  of  the  Church,  exclaims,  "Let  us  break 
their  bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us," 


"WRITINGS  OF  KMAMTKT.  RWKDEXnORG. 


53 


to  him  who  gave  it  birth.  Tlien,  to  sliow  wherein  the  con- 
tradiction consists,  he  makes  the  following  quotations: 

"  SwEDENBORG. — "  The  Lord,  during  his  abode  in  the  . 
world,  fulfilled  all  things  contained  in  the  Word,  and 
thei-eby  was  made  the  Word."    Tr.  Chr.  Rei,  261. 

"  The  Holy  Scriptures. — "  In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word.  All  things  were  made  by  him.  And  the  Word  ivas 
made  fieah."  John  i.  1,  3,  14." 

The  injustice  comj)lained  of  in  the  preceding  quotation 
from  Swedenborg  consists  in  the  omission  of  certain  words, 
on  which  the  true  sense  of  the  author  depends.  He  ob- 
serves that  the  Lord  was  made  the  Word,  and  immediately 
adds,  "that  is,  divine  truth,  even  in  its  ultimates."  But 
these  last  words  are  willfully  omitted  by  Mr.  Pike,  in  order 
to  make  it  appear  that  he  contradicts  the  Scriptures,  which 
say  that  the  Lord  was  the  Word  in  the  beginning,  or  before 
the  incarnation.  The  doctrine  intended  to  be  inculcated 
by  Swedenborg  is,  that  by  the  Lord's  accomplishing  or  ful- 
filling the  Scriptures  in  his  own  person,  while  in  the  world, 
he  thereby  became  the  Word  in  ultimates  or  last  prineipks, 
as  he  was  before  the  incarnation  the  same  Word  in  Jird 
principles;  and  thus,  as  he  was  from  all  eternity  the  Alpha, 
so  he  became  in  time  the  Omega  also.  Mr.  Pike's  design, 
however,  is  evidently  to  represent  Swedenborg  as  asserting 
that  the  Lord  was  not  the  Word  originally,  but  only  became 
such  after  his  incarnation,  in  the  same  sense  and  in  the  same 
respect  as  the  Scriptures  declare  him  to  have  been  from  the 
beginning.  Accordingly  he  attempts  to  form  a  contrast  be- 
tween Swedenborg  and  the  Scriptures  :  but  as  he  could  not 
do  this  with  any  show  of  plausil)ility  in  any  other  way  than 
by  omitting  that  part  of  the  sentence  which  defines  the 
sense  in  which  Swedenborg  says  the  Lord  became  the 
Word,  namely,  a,?  to  ultimates,  he  therefore  hesitates  not  to 
mutilate  the  author  in  the  most  essential  2>ai't  of  his  sub- 
6  « 


54 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


ject,  and  then  to  hold  him  up  to  unmerited  contempt.  But 
let  the  noble  Swedenborg  speak  for  himself. 

"  That  the  Lord,  during  his  abode  in  the  world,  fulfilled 
all  things  contained  in  the  Word,  and  that  he  was  thereby- 
made  divine  truth,  or  the  Word,  even  in  its  ultimates,  is  un- 
derstood by  these  words  in  John,  "And  the  Word  was  made 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the 
glory  as  of  the  Only-begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace 
and  truth,"  chap.  i.  14:  to  be  made  fle^h  is  to  be  made  the 
Word  in  its  ultimates,  A  representation  of  the  Lord,  as 
the  Word  in  its  ultimates,  was  exhibited  before  his  disci- 
ples at  his  transfiguration,"  Matt.  xvii.  2,  &c. ;  Mark  ix. 
2,  &c. ;  Luke  ix.  28,  &c. ;  and  it  is  there  said  that  Moses 
and  Elias  appeared  in  glory.  By  Moses  is  meant  the  Word 
which  was  written  by  him,  and  in  general  the  Historical 
Word ;  and  by  Elias  the  Prophetical  Word.  The  Lord,  as 
the  Word  in  its  ultimates,  was  also  represented  before  John 
in  the  Revelation,  chap.  i.  13  to  16;  where  all  parts  of  the 
description  given  of  him  signify  the  ultimates  of  divine 
truth,  or  of  the  Word.  The  Lord  indeed,  before  his  incar- 
nation, was  the  Word,  or  divine  truth ;  but  then  it  was  in 
its  first  or  most  pure  essence,  for  it  is  said,  "  In  the  beginning 
was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the 
Word,"  John  i.  1 :  but  when  the  Word  was  made  flesh,  then 
the  Lord  was  made  the  Word  in  its  ultimates  also  ;  and  it 
is  from  this  circumstance  that  he  is  called  the  First  and  the 
Last,  Apoc.  i.  8,  11,  17;  chap.  ii.  8;  chap.  xxi.  6;  chap, 
xxii.  13 ;  Isa.  xliv.  6."     Tr.  Chr.  Eel.,  261. 

The  author  then,  in  confirmation  of  the  doctrine  here  ad- 
vanced, brings  forward  a  great  variety  of  passages,  to  show 
that  the  Lord  came  into  the  world  to  fulfill  the  Scriptures, 
and  that  they  were  actually  fulfilled  in,  upon,  and  in  refer- 
ence to  his  person,  agreeably  to  his  own  words,  "  All  things 
must  be  fulfilled  ivhich  were  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  55 


ill  the  Prophets,  and  in  the  Psahns  concerning  me,"  Luke 
xxiv.  44,  45.  Wlieu  upon  the  cross,  "  Jesus,  knowing  that 
all  things  were  now  accomplished,  said,  I  thirst ; "  and  after- 
ward, "  It  is  finished,  or  fulfilled,"  John  xix.  28,  30. 

XV. — God  is  not  an  Angry,  Vindictive,  and  Re- 
lentless Being. 

It  is  again  objected  to  Swedenborg,  that  he  vindicates  the 
Divine  Being  from  the  aspersions  so  continually  cast  upon 
him  by  those  who  read  without  understanding  his  Word. 
Mr.  Pike,  asserts,  and  endeavors  to  prove  by  a  variety  of 
quotations  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  that  God  is  "an 
angry,  fierce,  vindictive,  and  relentless  Being ;  that  he  is 
ready,  on  the  slightest  offence,  to  take  vengeance  on  his 
enemies ;  to  rain  snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and  a  hor- 
rible tempest,  upon  every  one  of  them ;  and  that,  as  he  is 
able  to  punish,  so  he  will  on  all  proper  occasions  distribute 
sorrows  in  his  anger,  and  inflict  miseries  in  his  indignation." 
"While,  on  the  contrary,  Swedenborg,  proclaims,  in  the 
true  spirit  of  that  religion,  which  descended  from  on  high, 
that  "  the  Lord,  who  delights  in  mercy  and  forgiveness,  im- 
putes good  to  man  whenever  it  is  to  be  found  in  him,  and 
not  the  least  sort  or  degree  of  evil,  this  latter  being  the  part 
or  office  of  the  accuser  of  the  brethren ;  that  God  in  himself 
is  never  angry,  that  he  never  avengeth,  hateth,  condemneth, 
punisheth,  casteth  into  hell,  or  causeth  evil  to  anyone;" 
but  that  it  is  man,  instigated  by  the  devil,  or  hell,  who,  by 
his  acts  of  wickedness  and  disobedience  to  the  divine  law, 
brings  on  himself  all  the  evils  of  punishment ;  and  that 
such  evils,  together  with  wrath,  anger,  and  fury,  are  in  the 
letter  of  the  Word  ascribed  to  the  Lord,  only  because  they 
appear  to  the  wicked  and  to  the  uninstructed  as  if  they  pro- 
ceeded from  him,  and  that  they  might  further  operate  as  a 
terror  to  evil-doers. 


56 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


XVI. — Comparison  between  Mr.  Pike's  God,  and 
THE  God  op  Emanuel  Swedenborg. 

As  Mr.  Pike  is  fond  of  comparing  Gods,  let  the  reader 
now  follow  his  example,  and  mark  in  the  preceding  contrast 
the  difference  of  character  between  Mr.  Pike's  God  and 
the  God  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg.  The  former  is  represented 
as  a  God  of  wrath,  vengeance,  and  fierce  anger,  kind  only 
to  his  friends,  hating  and  punishing  his  enemies,  instead  of 
forgiving  them,  as  he  directs  others  to  do ;  "a  hard  and  au- 
stere man,"  Matt.  xxv.  24 ;  Luke  xix.  21 ;  highly  suscept- 
ible of  offence,  and  when  irritated,  to  be  appeased  only  by 
blood,  not  the  blood  of  the  guilty,  and  rebellious  alone,  but 
a  sweeter  potion,  the  blood  of  the  innocent.  The  latter,  or 
the  God  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  is  described  by  him  as  a 
God  of  infinite  and  universal  love,  mercy,  and  compassion  ; 
a  tender  Parent  to  all  his  offspring  Avithout  exception ;  as 
it  were  "  deaf  and  blind  to  the  infirmities  of  his  children," 
Isa.  xlii.  19,  20;  "long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness 
and  truth,"  Exod.  xxxiv.  7 ;  "  pardoning  iniquity,  passing 
by  transgression,  delighting  in  mercy,"  Micah  vii.  18 ;  in- 
capable of  revenge,  requiring  no  sacrifice  or  burnt-offering 
to  render  him  propitious,  much  less  the  shedding  of  inno- 
cent blood  as  an  atonement  and  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of 
the  guilty,  Ps.  xl.  6 ;  Ps.  li.  16,  17 ;  Hos.  vi.  6 ;  ready  on 
the  first  sign  of  repentance,  while  the  sinner  "  is  yet  a  great 
way  off,  to  run,  and  fall  on  his  neck,  and  kiss  him,"  Luke 
XV.  20 ;  and  stipulating  as  the  only  condition,  which  man 
is  expected  to  observe,  in  order  to  his  being  qualified  for 
the  enjoyment  of  eternal  happiness,  that  he  "  do  justly, 
love  mercy,  and  walk  humbly  with  his  God,"  Micah  vi.  8  ; 
and  at  the  same  time  that  he  believe  in  the  Lord  as  God 
manifested  in  the  flesh,  John  i.  14 ;  chap.  iii.  36 ;  chap.  vi. 
40,  47.    Such  is  the  immense  difference  between  the  cha- 


WHITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  S"nn>ENBORG. 


57 


racter  of  the  God,  whom  ]\Ir.  Pike  professes  to  worship,  the 
character  of  a  Moloch,  a  Juggernaut,  a  tyraut,  whose  heavy 
chariot  is  the  signal  of  death  and  despair ;  and  that  of  the 
true  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  whom  Emanuel  Swenborg 
proclaims  to  the  world ;  a  God,  "  who  is  good  to  all,  whose 
tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works,"  Ps.  clxv.  9 ;  and 
who  has  proved  himself  to  be  the  mild  Parent,  Protector, 
and  Benefactor  of  his  people. 

The  sentiments  of  Swedenborg,  and  the  doctrine  which 
he  inculcates  on  this  most  important  subject,  are  so  appro- 
priate, and  so  interesting,  that  the  reader  cannot  fail  to  de- 
rive both  instruction  and  benefit  from  them.  His  own 
words  are  as  follow  :  "  Even  reason  assents  to  the  truth  of 
this  proposition,  viz.,  That  the  Lord  cannot  do  evil  to  any 
man,  consequently  cannot  impute  evil  to  any,  inasmuch  as 
he  is  essential  love  and  essential  mercy,  and  thus  essen- 
tial goodnes-s,  these  being  properties  of  his  divine  essence : 
wherefore  to  attribute  evil,  or  anything  connected  with 
evil,  to  the  Lord,  would  be  contradictory  to  his  divine  es- 
sence, and  as  wicked  a  thing  as  to  join  the  Lord  and  the 
devil  together,  or  to  unite  heaven  and  hell,  when  yet  "  be- 
tween them  there  is  a  great  gulf  fix^d,  so  that  they  rcho  would 
pass  from  one  to  the  other  cannot,"  Luke  xvi.  26.  It  is  not 
possible  even  for  an  angel  of  heaven  to  do  evil  to  any  one, 
because  the  essence  of  good  from  the  Lord  is  in  him ;  and 
on  the  other  hand,  it  is  impossible  for  a  spirit  of  hell  not  to 
do  evil  to  another,  because  the  nature  of  evil  from  the 
devil  is  in  him :  the  essence  or  nature,  which  any  one  hath 
appropriated  to  himself  during  his  abode  in  the  world,  can- 
not be  changed  after  death.  Consider,  I  beseech  you,  what 
sort  of  a  Being  would  the  Lord  be,  supposing  him  to  regard 
the  wicked  with  an  eye  of  wrath,  and  the  good  with  an  eye 
of  mercy?  The  wicked  are  millions  upon  millions  in  num- 
ber, and  so  also  are  the  good :  supposing  then  the  Lord  to 


58 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


save  the  latter  by  an  act  of  grace,  and  to  condemn  the 
former  by  an  act  of  vengeance,  and  to  look  upon  these  with 
a  fierce  and  implacable  countenance,  and  upon  those  with  a 
countenance  of  mildness  and  mercy,  what  sort  of  a  Being 
must  you,  in  such  case,  suppose  the  Lord  God  to  be,  who 
could  assume  two  such  different  countenances  and  cha- 
racters? It  is  a  common  doctrine  delivered  from  every 
pulpit,  that  all  good,  truly  and  properly  so-called,  is  from 
God  ;  and  on  the  contrary,  that  all  evil,  truly  and  properly 
so-called,  is  from  the  devil.  In  case  then  any  one  should 
receive  both  good  and  evil,  good  from  the  Lord,  and  evil 
from  the  devil,  and  embrace  both  with  his  will-desires,  must 
he  not  needs  fall  under  that  description  of  persons,  who  are 
neither  cold  nor  hot,  but  luke-worm,  and  who  are  spewed 
out  of  the  Lord's  mouth,  according  to  his  words  in  the 
Kevelation,  chap.  iii.  15,  16?"    Tr.  Chr.  Rel,  651, 

The  fact  is,  that  the  Sacred  Scriptures  are  written  in  some 
places  according  to  the  appearances  of  truth,  and  thus  adapted 
to  the  capacities  of  children,  the  ignorant,  and  the  wicked ; 
and  in  other  places  according  to  the  genuine  truth,  for  the 
more  immediate  use  and  benefit  of  those  who  are  better  in- 
structed. An  individual,  or  a  church  consisting  of  many 
individuals,  may  draw  his  doctrine  either  from  the  one  set 
of  truths,  or  from  the  other :  he  cannot  from  both  at  the 
same  time,  without  confounding  all  the  distinctions  of  good 
and  evil,  of  truth  and  falsehood,  and  thus  produce  the  luke- 
warm state  above  described. 

XVII. — Redemption,  how  Understood. 

The  next  subject,  on  which  Mr.  Pike  takes  occasion  to 
quarrel  with  Swedenborg,  is  that  of  redemption — a  subject 
which  appears  to  have  been  totally  misunderstood  by 
Christians  in  general,  who  have  supposed  that  it  consisted 
merely  in  the  passion  of  the  cross,  as  an  act  of  atonement 


WUITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  59 


for  the  sins  of  mankind ;  and  therefore  it  is  no  wonder  that 
Mr.  Pike,  like  the  rest  of  his  brethren  of  ahnost  all  sects, 
should  take  tire  on  finding  this  his  favorite  scheme  most 
effectually  overthrown  both  by  reason  and  by  a  sound  in- 
terpretation of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  A  short  view  of  the 
faith  now  so  prevalent  in  the  Church  will  be  sufficient  to 
show  its  absurdity,  and  even  its  wickedness.  But  as  this 
cannot  be  given  more  clearly  than  in  the  words  of  Swe- 
denborg,  the  attention  of  the  reader  is  called  to  the  follow- 
ing extract  fi'om  his  work,  entitled  True  Christian  Religion: 
"  ^yhat  doctrine  doth  more  abound  in  the  books  of  the 
orthodox  at  this  day,  or  what  is  more  zealously  taught  and 
insisted  on  in  the  schools  of  divinity,  or  more  constantly 
preached  and  cried  up  in  the  pulpit,  than  this,  viz.,  that 
God  the  Father,  being  full  of  wrath  against  mankind,  not 
only  separated  them  from  himself,  but  also  sentenced  them 
to  universal  damnation,  and  thereby  excommunicated  them? 
But  because  he  was  gracious  and  merciful,  that  he  per- 
suaded or  excited  his  Son  to  descend  and  take  upon  him- 
self the  determined  curse,  and  thus  expiate  the  wrath  of 
his  Father,  who  might  thus  be  prevailed  upon  to  look  with 
an  eye  of  mercy  again  upon  mankind ;  and  likewise  that 
this  was  effected  by  the  Son,  who,  in  taking  upon  himself 
the  curse  pronounced  against  men,  suffered  himself  to  be 
scourged  by  the  Jews,  to  be  spit  upon,  and  lastly  to  be  cru- 
cified as  the  accursed  of  God,  Deut,  xxi.  23 ;  and  that  the 
Father  was  by  this  means  appeased,  and  out  of  love  toward 
his  Son  canceled  the  sentence  of  damnation,  but  yet  only 
in  favor  of  those  for  whom  the  Son  would  intercede,  who 
was  in  this  respect  to  be  a  perpetual  Mediator  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Father.  These  and  the  like  doctrines  are  at 
this  day  trumpeted  forth  from  the  pulpit,  and  re-echoed 
from  the  walls  of  the  temple,  as  sound  is  re-echoed  in  a 
wood,  so  that  the  ears  of  all  present  are  filled  with  it. 


60 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


But  who,  that  hath  his  reason  enlightened  and  purified  by 
the  Word,  cannot  see  that  God  is  mercy  and  clemency 
itself,  because  he  is  love  and  goodness  itself,  and  that 
they  are  his  essence;  and  consequently  that  it  is  a  con- 
tradiction to  say,  that  mercy  itself,  or  goodness  itself,  can 
behold  man  with  an  angry  eye,  and  sentence  him  to 
damnation,  and  still  abide  in  its  divine  essence?  Such 
dispositions  are  never  ascribed  to  a  good  man,  or  an  an- 
gel of  heaven,  but  only  to  a  wicked  man  and  a  spirit  of 
hell ;  wherefore  it  is  blasphemy  to  ascribe  them  to  God. 
But  if  we  inquire  into  the  cause  of  this  false  judgment,  we 
shall  find  it  to  be  this,  that  men  have  taken  it  for  granted 
that  the  passion  of  the  cross  was  true  redemption ;  and 
hence  have  flowed  those  other  opinions,  like  so  many  falses 
flowing  in  a  continued  series  from  one  single  false  princi- 
ple, or  as  from  a  cask  of  vinegar  nothing  but  vinegar  can 
come  forth,  or  as  from  an  insane  mind  we  can  exjiect  noth- 
ing but  insanity.  For  one  point  being  taken  for  granted, 
the  conclusions  that  are  made  thereupon  must  have  rela- 
tion to  it,  because  they  originate  in  it,  and  are  severally 
and  successively  produced  from  it ;  and  from  this  one  point 
concerning  the  passion  of  the  cross,  as  constituting  the  sum 
of  redemption,  many  shocking  and  impious  opinions  about 
God  may  still  take  rise,  and  go  forth  into  the  world,  until 
that  prophecy  of  Isaiah  comes  to  be  fulfilled,  viz. :  '  TJie 
priest  and  the  prophet  have  erred  through  strong  drink,  they 
stumble  in  judgment :  all  tables  are  full  of  vomit  and  filthi- 
ness,'  chap,  xxviii.  7,  8. 

"  That  this  idea  concerning  God,  and  concerning  redemp- 
tion, pervades  the  faith  which  prevails  at  this  day  through- 
out all  Christendom,  is  an  acknowledged  truth  ;  for  that 
faith  requires  that  men  pray  to  God  the  Father  to  remit 
their  sins  for  the  sake  of  the  cross  and  blood  of  his  Son, 
and  to  God  the  Son  that  he  would  pray  and  intercede  for 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEI^  SWEDENBORG. 


61 


them,  and  to  God  the  Holy  Ghost  that  he  would  justify  and 
sanctify  them ;  and  what  is  all  tliis  but  to  supplicate  three 
distinct  Gods  one  after  another  ?  And,  in  such  a  case,  how 
can  the  notion  which  the  mind  forms  of  the  divine  govern- 
ment differ  from  that  of  an  aristocratical  or  hierarchical 
government?  or  from  that  of  the  triumvirate  which  once 
existed  at  Rome,  if  only  instead  of  triumvirate  it  be  called 
a  triumpersonate  ?  And  in  such  a  government  what  is 
easier  than  for  the  devil  to  put  in  practice  the  old  proverb, 
Divide  and  rule,  that  is,  to  distract  men's  minds,  and  excite 
rebellious  motions,  sometimes  against  one  God,  and  some- 
times against  another,  as  hath  been  his  practice  since  the 
time  of  Arius  to  this  day,  and  thereby  to  dethrone  the 
Lord  God  and  Saviour,  'who  hath  all  power  in  heaven  and, 
in  earth,'  Matt,  xxviii.  18 ;  and  to  exalt  some  client  of  his 
own  in  the  Lord's  place,  and  to  worship  him,  or  refuse  wor- 
shij)  both  to  him  and  to  the  Lord?"  Tr.  Chr.  Rel.  132,  133. 

Against  such  a  system  of  redemption  as  that  above  de- 
scribed, every  truly  rational  man  must  surely  lift  up  his 
voice;  for,  in  the  first  place,  it  supposes  there  are  more  Divine 
Beings  than  one,  when  yet  reason  as  well  as  revelation 
spurns  the  idea;  in  the  next  place  it  ascribes  wrath  and 
a  vindictive  spirit  to  one  of  those  Beings,  and  not  to  the 
other,  though  both  are  said  to  possess  the  same  essence  or 
nature,  which  is  contradictory  and  absurd ;  and  in  the 
third  place  it  represents  one  of  those  Beings,  called  the 
Son,  as  offering  himself  a  sacrifice  in  the  room  of  man- 
kind, to  pacify  his  Father's  wrath,  when  yet  it  is  contrary 
to  every  principle  of  justice,  both  human  and  divine,  that 
the  innocent  should  suffer  for  the  crimes  of  the  guilty. 
Nor  is  it  less  repugnant  to  the  true  sense  of  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures than  to  enlightened  reason,  for  in  them  it  is  distinctly 
declared  that  there  is  only  one  Divine  Being,  only  one  God, 
of  pure  unbounded  love,  besides  whom  there  is  neither  Cre- 
6 


62 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


ator,  Redeemer,  nor  Saviour,  Isa.  xliii.  1,  3,  11,  14,  15 ; 
chap.  xliv.  6,  24 ;  who  never  did  desire  sacrifice  and  burnt- 
offering,  but  mercy  and  obedience,  the  only  sacrifice  accept- 
able to  him  being  a  broken  heart.  Ps.  xl.  6 ;  Ps.  11.  16, 
17  ;  Hos.  vi.  6 ;  Jer.  vii.  22,  23. 

Redemption  then  did  not,  as  is  too  generally  supposed, 
consist  in  the  mere  passion  of  the  cross,  nor  in  the  pacifica- 
tion of  divine  wrath ;  neither  is  it  any  where  so  asserted  by 
our  Lord,  when  he  speaks  of  his  sufferings  and  crucifixion. 
But  being  a  work  purely  divine,  and  effected  by  the  omnipo- 
tence of  the  Saviour  while  in  Humanity,  it  consisted  in  the 
deliverance  of  man  from  spiritual  captivity  by  the  actual 
subjugation  of  the  powers  of  darkness,  in  the  orderly  arrange- 
ment of  the  heavens,  and  in  the  consequent  foundation  of 
a  new  Church  on  earth.  The  subjugation  of  the  powers  of 
darkness  is  described  in  these  words  of  the  prophet,  "  I  have 
trodden  the  wine-press  alone,  and  of  the  people  there  was 
none  with  me :  for  I  will  tread  them  in  mine  anger,  and  trample 
them  in  my  fury,  and  their  blood  shall  be  sprinkled  upon  my 
garments,  and  I  will  stain  all  my  raiment.  For  the  day 
of  vengeance  is  in  mine  heart,  and  the  year  of  my  redeemed 
is  come,"  Isa.  Ixiii.  3,  4.  Similar  is  the  description  given 
in  many  other  parts  of  the  Old  Testament;  and  in  the 
New  we  read  as  follows,  "  iVbw  is  the  judgment  of  this  world  ; 
now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out,"  John  xii.  31. 
"The  prince  of  this  world  is  judged,"  John  xvi.  11.  "I 
beheld  Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven,"  Luke  x.  18. 
At  the  same  time  new  heavens  were  formed  above,  and  a 
new  earth  below,  that  is,  a  new  Church  both  in  the  spiritual 
and  in  the  natural  world,  wherein,  according  to  prophecy, 
should  dwell  righteousness  and  peace  ;  see  Isa.  Ixv.  18,  etc. ; 
chap.  Ixvi.  22,  etc.  Thus  the  Lord,  when  on  earth,  by  acts 
of  redemption,  restored  that  order  which  had  been  dis- 
turbed by  the  overwhelming  power  of  evil,  and  put  man 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEXBORG.  63 


again  into  the  capacity  of  being  reformed,  regenerated  and 
finally  saved. 

Mr.  Pike,  after  quoting  a  variety  of  passages  from 
Swedenborg  to  the  effect  above  stated,  which  he  ignorantly 
supposes  to  be  in  opposition  to  the  Sacred  Scriptures 
and  the  writings  of  the  apostles,  says,  that  according  to 
these  latter  "  Christ  died  /or  us ;"  and  that  we  have  "  for- 
giveness of  sins  through  his  blood;"  by  which  expressions 
he  understands,  that  Christ  died  instead  of  vian,  or  in  his 
room;  and  that,  in  consideration  of  the  natural  blood  shed 
upon  the  cross,  God  was  induced  to  be  merciful  to  man,  and 
to  forgive  his  transgressions.  This  erroneous  view  of  the 
nature  of  the  Lord's  sufferings  and  death  arises,  in  part, 
from  a  complete  misapprehension  of  the  terms  used,  and 
applying  them  in  a  sense  never  contemplated  by  the  in- 
spired writers.  That  the  Lord  laid  down  his  life  for  the 
sheep,  John  x.  15,  is  indeed  true ;  but  not  that  he  did  so  in 
their  stead,  in  the  way  of  a  vicarious  sacrifice,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  appeasing  the  wrath  of  the  Father.  And  again, 
that  man  is  purified  and  saved  through  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  is  equally  true ;  but  not  according  to  the  vulgar 
notion,  that  the  natural  blood  of  an  innocent  person,  shed 
more  than  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  or  a  belief  in  the 
history  which  records  that  transaction,  procured  or  procures 
for  man  the  blessings  of  redemption  and  salvation. 

Let  us  examine  the  subject  with  candor  and  impartial- 
ity. To  die  for  or  in  the  room  of  man,  is  one  thing ;  and  to 
die  for,  on  account  of,  or  for  the  sake  of  him,  is  another. 
The  former  sense  is  that  which  Mr.  Pike  and  others  attach 
to  the  word  for :  the  latter  is  the  true  scriptural  sense  of 
the  same  expression.  "When  a  soldier,  who  is  a  true 
patriot,  yields  up  his  life  in  the  field  of  battle,  he  is  said  to 
die  for  his  country,  because  he  dies  in  defence  of,  for  the 
sake  of,  or  for  the  benefit  of  his  country,  but  surely  not  in- 


64 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


stead  or  in  the  room  of  his  country.  So  when  the  Lord 
submitted  to  be  crucified,  the  Scriptures  represent  him  as 
laying  down  his  life /or  his  people,  that  is, /or  their  sake,  for 
their  benefit  and  advantage,  that  entering  through  sufferings 
and  death  into  his  glory,  Luke  xxiv.  26,  he  might  be  for 
ever  in  the  act  of  communicating  to  them  all  those  spiritual 
blessings,  which  his  mercy  in  becoming  incarnate  ha<l  ren- 
dered them  capable  of  enjoying.  Hence  he  says,  "I  tell 
you  the  truth,  it  is  exjjedient  for  you  that  I  go  away  (by 
death  and  resurrection) :  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Com- 
forter will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send 
him  unto  you,"  John  xvi.  7. 

Again,  when  the  prophet  says,  "He  was  wounded  for 
our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  for 
the  transgression  of  my  people  was  he  stricken  ;  thou  shalt 
make  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,"  Isa.  liii.  5,  8,  10,  we  are 
not  to  understand,  that  he  was  wounded,  bruised,  and 
stricken,  instead  of  our  transgressions  and  iniquities,  still 
less  that  he  made  his  soul  an  offering  in  behalf  of  sin,  or  in 
its  favor  and  support,  as  the  word  for  in  one  of  its  senses 
literally  implies,  but  that  he  suffered  such  things  by  reason 
of  our  transgressions,  and  on  account  of  our  sin.  This  dis- 
tinction should  be  well  attended  to ;  otherwise  the  most  in- 
coherent, irrational,  and  unscriptural  conclusions  may  be 
formed  respecting  the  great  work  of  redemption,  which  was 
effected  by  the  Lord  solely  for  the  sake  of  benefiting  man- 
kind, and  not  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  any  change  in 
some  other  Being  superior  to  himself,  or  of  extorting  as  it 
were  from  him  an  act  of  grace  and  mercy  toward  the 
human  race  by  the  intensity  of  his  suffering,  and  the 
urgency  of  his  intercession. 

With  respect  to  the  blood  of  Christ,  or  the  blood  of  the 
0  Lamb,  which  has  also  been  so  much  dwelt  upon  by  soli- 
fidians  of  every  name  and  sect,  it  is  of  importance  to  ob- 


WRITINGS  or  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  65 


serve,  that  the  genuine  scriptural  idea  intended  to  be  sug- 
gested by  these  expressions  is,  not  natural  or  material  blood, 
but  the  divine  truth  proceeding  from  the  Lord,  and  con- 
tained in  his  Holy  Word.  For  as  "  blood  is  the  life  of  all 
flesh,"  Levit.  xvii.  14,  and  flesh  as  such  "profiteth  nothing," 
John  vi.  63  ;  so  the  blood  of  Christ,  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
and  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  Man,  are  expressions  used  to 
denote  the  spiritual  and  divine  life  of  the  Lord,  con- 
sequently of  his  Word  also,  since  the  words  of  the  Lord, 
like  the  Lord  himself,  "are  spirit,  truth,  and  life,"  John  vi. 
63 ;  chap.  xiv.  6.  It  is  this  spiritual  blood,  and  this 
alone,  that  cleanses,  purifies,  sanctifies,  and  regenerates. 
"Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth:  thy  word  is  truth.  And 
for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that  they  also  might  be 
sanctified  through  the  truth,"  John  xvii.  17,  19.  It  is  the 
same  spiritual  blood,  in  conjunction  with  the  flesh  of  the 
Son  of  Man,  which  gives  eternal  life  to  all  who  eat  and 
drink  thei-eof  "  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  ]\Ian, 
and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you.  Whoso  eateth 
my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life:  for  my 
flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed,"  John 
vi.  53  to  55.  It  is  again  the  same  spiritual  blood,  by 
which  redemption  and  salvation  are  effected:  "Thou  hast 
redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred, 
and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation,"  Apoc.  v.  9.  "These 
are  they  who  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have 
washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,"  Apoc.  vii.  14.  "And  they  overcame  the  great 
dragon,  that  old  serpent,  called  the  devil  and  satan,  by  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony," 
Apoc.  xii.  11. 

Will  Mr.  Pike  now  insist,  that  the  Lord's  natural  flesh 
is  to  be  eaten,  and  his  natural  blood  to  be  drunk,  in  order 
that  man  may  receive  eternal  life?  or  that  the  robes  of 
6* 


66 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


the  saints  are  literally  washed  in  blood,  and  that  by  such  a 
process  they  are  made  white  f  As  well  may  he  argue  in 
this  childish  and  trifling  way,  as  contend,  when  the  Scrip- 
tures speak  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  or  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
whereby  man  was  redeemed  and  rescued  from  the  power  of 
evil,  and  by  virtue  of  which  he  receives  the  forgiveness  of 
his  sins,  that  they  mean  the  material  blood  which  was  shed 
upon  the  cross,  and,  in  consequence  of  that  circumstance, 
the  pacification  of  divine  wrath.  But  the  whole  system  of 
these  literalists,  materialists,  and  tri-personalists,  is  of  a 
piece :  it  is  rotten  in  its  foundation,  and  its  superstructure 
already  totters  to  the  fall.  How  any  man  of  common 
understanding  can  for  a  moment  give  countenance  to  such 
manifest  inconsistencies  and  absurdities,  as  are  necessarily 
attendant  on  the  doctrine  of  a  trinity  of  persons,  is  indeed 
matter  of  astonishment.  Three  Divine  Beings,  or  three 
Gods,  co-eval  and  co-equal  with  each  other,  and  at  the  same 
time  subordinate  in  rank  one  under  another ;  of  the  same 
essence,  majesty,  and  glory,  yet  possessing  different  and 
discordant  attributes ;  the  first  furious  and  vindictive,  re- 
quiring satisfaction  for  his  offended  honor  by  no  less  a 
penalty  than  the  death  of  his  own  Son,  in  the  room  of  the 
guilty  ;  the  second  merciful,  and  willing  to  pay  tliat  penalty 
by  the  sacrifice  of  himself ;  and  the  third  standing  by  the 
two  former  in  the  character  of  neutrality,  or  as  a  mere 
cipher  in  the  supposed  consultation,  yet  ready  to  under- 
take whatever  office  may  be  assigned  him  by  the  others  his 
companions ;  are  positions  so  monstrous,  so  disgraceful  to 
the  professors  of  modern  Christianity,  that  it  is  no  wonder 
the  intelligent  and  wise  of  all  nations,  who  are  exempt 
from  the  shackles  of  a  blind  and  preposterous  faith,  should 
treat  the  bare  mention  of  such  paradoxes  with  all  the  con- 
tempt and  scorn  which  they  so  richly  deserve.  Chris- 
tianity itself,  however,  when  rightly  understood,  is  by  no 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANTJEl,  SWEDEXBORO. 


67 


means  chargeable  with  these  insanities,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, is  the  most  rational,  consistent,  and  benign  system 
of  religion,  that  has  ever  yet  appeared  among  men,  requir- 
ing only  to  be  fairly  represented,  and  candidly  heard,  to 
gain  the  admiration  of  every  good  and  virtuous  mind. 

XVIII. — Angels  Redeemed  as  well  as  Men. 

It  is  further  objected  that  "  Swedenborg  asserts,  in  defi- 
ance of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that  the  Lord  not  only  re- 
deemed men,  but  angels  also."  When  a  writer  is  charged 
with  holding  a  doctrine  in  defiance  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
it  must  reasonably  be  expected  that  abundant  and  incon- 
trovertible proof  would  be  adduced  from  those  Scriptures 
in  support  of  the  accusation.  But  in  this  respect  Mr. 
Pike  has  completely  failed  ;  he  has  not  brought  forward 
even  a  single  passage  from  any  one  of  those  books, 
which  have  been  proved,  alone  to  constitute  the  Word  of 
God ;  but  has  made  three  quotations  from  the  Apostolic 
Epistles  which  still  leave  the  real  question  at  issue  un- 
touched. The  first  is  Heb.  ii.  16,  where  the  apostle  speak- 
ing of  the  Lord's  assumption  of  the  natural  Humanity, 
says,  "  Verily  he  took  not  on  him  the  nature  of  angels,  but 
he  took  on  him  the  seed  of  Abraham,"  by  which  is  clearly 
luiderstood,  that,  when  the  Lord  came  into  the  world  for  the 
purpose  of  redemption,  he  made  his  appearance,  not  as  here- 
tofore in  the  person  of  an  angel,  or  of  a  spirit  separated  from 
the  material  body,  or,  which  is  still  the  same,  of  a  deceased 
man,  Judg.  xiii.  3,  6,  8  to  21 ;  Dan.  viii.  15,  16  ;  chap.  ix.  21 ; 
chap.  X.  5,  16,  18  ;  but  in  a  body  of  natural  flesh  and  blood, 
similar  to  those  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  and  tribe  of  Judah. 
The  passage  quoted  by  Mr.  Pike,  therefore,  refers  only  to 
the  nature  of  that  Humanity  which  was  assumed  by  the 
Lord,  and  not  to  the  extent  of  the  redemption  wrought  by 
him,  much  less  to  the  exclusion  of  deceased  men,  spirits,  or 


68 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


angels,  from  all  participation  in  the  benefit  thereof.  For, 
as  already  demonstrated  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  reasonable 
doubt,  it  is  the  unequivocal  testimony  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures that  angels  and  men  are  of  one  and  the  same  race. 
And  hence  it  follows  that  if  redemption  were  designed  as 
a  blessing  to  all  the  families  of  mankind,  it  must  have 
extended  to  angels  as  well  as  men.  This  will  appear  the 
more  evident  if  it  be  considered  that  the  true  nature  and 
effect  of  redemption  are  not  only  to  deliver  from  the  power 
of  evil,  but  also  to  preserve  in  a  state  of  integrity ;  and  as 
neither  man  nor  angel  of  himself  possesses  the  least  degree 
of  good,  but  derives  it  wholly  from  the  Lord,  and  is  from 
moment  to  moment  withheld  from  evil  by  him  alone,  it  is 
plain  that  the  highest  angel  in  heaven,  as  well  as  the  hum- 
blest individual  in  the  Church  on  earth,  is  and  will  for  ever 
be  in  arrears  of  gratitude  to  the  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of 
the  world  for  security  from  danger,  and  the  full  assurance 
of  uninterrupted  happiness.  Why  otherwise  would  it  be 
written,  that  "  the  angels,  consisting  of  ten  thousand  times 
ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of  thousands,  together  with 
the  four  beasts  and  the  four  and  twenty  elders  of  the  supe- 
rior heavens,  fell  down  before  the  throne  and  ascribed  to 
the  Lamb  that  was  slain  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and 
strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing?"  Apoc.  v. 
11,  12;  chap.  vii.  11,  12.  And  why  again,  on  a  supposi- 
tion that  redemption  was  not  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word 
universal,  are  the  angels  of  Michael,  who  fought  against  the 
dragon  and  his  angels,  represented  as  overcoming  him  by 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony, 
Apoc.  xii.  7  to  11,  if  they  did  not  know  and  feel  that  they 
were  indebted  to  the  Lamb,  that  is,  to  the  Incarnate  God, 
for  all  the  blessings  of  redemption,  salvation,  and  eter- 
nal life? 

The  two  next  quotations  are  from  Peter  and  Jude,  and 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG,  69 


as  they  both  contain  the  same  sentiments  they  may  be 
regarded  as  one :  "  God  spared  not  the  angels  that  sinned, 
but  cast  them  down  to  hell,  and  delivered  them  into  chains 
of  darkness  to  be  reserved  unto  judgment,"  2  Pet.  ii.  4. 
"  The  angels  which  kept  not  their  first  estate,  but  left  their 
own  habitation,  he  hath  reserved  in  everlasting  chains 
under  dai-kuess  unto  the  judgment  of  the  great  day,"  Jude  6. 
These  two  passages  have  already  been  considered,  and 
proved  to  relate,  not  to  angels  originally  created  such  and 
afterward  cast  out  of  heaven,  according  to  the  common 
interpretation,  but  to  the  men  of  the  Adamic  or  Most  An- 
cient Church  on  this  earth,  who  being  at  one  time  in  high 
states  of  intelligence  and  wisdom,  are  described  in  the 
Word  as  having  within  them  the  breath  of  lives,  as  being 
living  sotils,  and  dwelling  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  as  in  a 
heavenly  paradise,  and  thus  living  a  kind  of  angelic  life, 
Gen.  ii.  7,  8 ;  but  afterward  lapsing  into  every  kind  of 
wickedness,  violence,  and  abomination,  Gen.  vi.  5,  12,  13. 
In  allusion  to  their  state  of  integrity  and  perfection  before 
their  fall  they  are  also  compared  to  angels  in  these  words : 
"  The  Lord  God  said.  Behold,  the  man  was*  as  one  of  us, 
in  knowing  good  and  evil,"  Gen.  iii.  22.    The  term  us  in 

*  In  the  common  Bible  version  this  passage  is  differently  rendered, 
the  English  translators  probably  thinking  that  the  words  referred  to 
the  tlien  fallen  state  of  man,  and  not  to  his  prior  state  of  wisdom  and 
integrity;  instead  therefore  of  saying,  "the  man  loas  or  has  been  na 
one  of  us,"  they  have  said,  "  the  man  is  become  as  one  of  us."  But  it 
Ls  very  evident,  both  from  the  original  Hebrew,  hayah,  and  the  gene- 
ral tenor  of  the  subject,  that  the  passage  ought  to  be  rendered  in  the 
corrected  form,  "  the  man  was  as  one  of  us."  The  words  immediately 
following  confirm  the  propriety  of  this  translation;  for,  with  a  view 
to  show  the  difference  between  his  former  and  his  then  present  state, 
it  is  added,  "And  now  lest  he  put  forth  his  hand,"  &c.  What  ia 
meant  by  the  expression  as  one  of  us  may  be  seen  explained  in  a 
preceding  section. 


70 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


the  plural  number  has  no  relation  whatever  to  a  trinity  of 
persons  in  the  Godhead,  but  to  angels,  or  "  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect,"  by  whose  ministry  the  reformaticm 
and  regeneration  of  man  are  uniformly  effected. 

Were  it  true,  as  Mr.  Pike  and  others  suppose,  that  the 
angels  spoken  of  by  Peter  and  Jude  were  once  pure,  ethe- 
real beings,  destitute  of  bodily  substance,  and  of  course 
exempt  from  the  infirmities  and  frailties  that  flesh  is  heir 
to,  how  it  came  to  pass  that  they  should  "  in  like  manner 
as  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  the  cities  about  them,  give 
themselves  over  to  fornication  and  going  after  strange  flesh 
Jude  7.  Are  we  to  suppose  that  these  angels  had  the  same 
propensities  as  the  sons  of  Ood,  spoken  of  in  Gen.  vi.  2,  4, 
who  "  saw  the  daughters  of  men  that  they  were  fair,  and  took 
them  wives  of  all  which  they  chose?"  Or  are  we  not 
rather  warranted  in  considering  these  descriptions  as  appli- 
cable to  man  in  his  degenerate  state,  and  not  to  any  race, 
whose  habitation  from  their  birth  was  in  the  skies? 

From  these  observations  it  may  be  seen,  that  Mr.  Pike 
has  failed  to  make  good  his  charge  against  Swedenborg,  of 
maintaining  a  doctrine  opposed  to  the  Sacred  Scriptures ; 
since  in  conformity  with  these  Swedenborg  plainly  teaches, 
that  angels  and  men  are  of  the  same  race,  having  the 
same  faculties,  and  capable  of  the  same  enjoyments ;  that 
they  are  fellow-servants,  brethren,  and  children  of  the 
same  Parent,  who  regards  them  all  with  an  equal  eye  of 
benevolence  and  mercy,  having  never  refused  to  any  one 
description  of  his  intelligent  but  fallen  creatures  what  he 
has  liberally  granted  to  another,  namely,  the  opportunity 
of  repentance  and  amendment  of  life,  together  with  all  the 
aids  necessary  to  promote  them  ;  consequently  having  never 
passed  by  heaven-born  rebels,  for  the  purpose  of  stooping 
to  redeem  a  few  earth-born  worms.  Yet  these  great  truths 
are  denied  by  Mr.  Pike  and  his  Trinitarian  friends,  who, 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


71 


concur  in  representing  hira  as  partial  in  his  loves,  and  un- 
willing to  hold  out  the  sceptre  of  mercy,  when  most  to  be 
desired,  to  the  first  and  fairest  portion  of  the  works  of  his 
hands.  For  they  not  only  assert,  that  a  great  proportion 
of  the  angels  of  heaven  fell  from  their  original  integrity, 
and  plunged  themselves  into  unspeakable  misery,  but  that 
their  Creator  beheld  them  in  this  deplorable  condition  with- 
out the  least  emotion  of  pity  or  love ;  that  he  had  no  bowels 
of  compassion  toward  them  ;  that  he  never,  in  conjunction 
Avith  his  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  proposed  or  formed  any 
plan  for  their  redemption  and  restoration  ;  and  that  he 
willingly  acquiesced  in  their  everlasting  damnation  :  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  suffered  his  anger,  which  had  been 
excited  against  fallen  man,  to  be  assuaged  by  the  sufferings, 
death,  and  intercession  of  a  Saviour.  According  to  such 
doctrine,  the  angels,  who  faithfully  stood  their  ground  on 
one  trying  occasion,  may  yet  fall  if  another  occurs :  and 
who  knows  how  soon  that  may  be?  May  not  jealousy 
spring  up  in  their  minds,  when  they  see  the  supposed  in- 
ferior race  of  man  crowned  with  equal  if  not  superior  honora 
with  themselves?  May  they  not  in  their  envy  and  an- 
ger take  up  the  language  of  the  elder  brother  in  the  parable, 
when  they  hear  the  music  and  dancing  in  their  Father's 
house  on  account  of  the  return  of  their  younger  brother 
man,  and  say  to  their  God,  "  Lo,  these  many  years  do  I 
serve  thee,  neither  transgressed  I  at  any  time  thy  command- 
ments ;  and  yet  thou  never  gavest  me  a  kid,  that  I  might 
make  merry  with  my  friends :  but  as  soon  as  this  thy  son 
was  come,  who  hath  devoured  thy  living  with  harlots,  thou 
hast  killed  for  him  the  fatted  calf?"  Luke  xv.  25.  to  30. 
If  some  of  the  heavenly  host  have  already  been  found 
guilty  of  treason  and  rebellion  against  their  King,  what  se- 
curity is  there,  that  the  rest  will  not  hereafter  follow  the 
sad  example  of  their  companions,  and  like  them  be  pre- 


72 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


cipitated  into  all  the  depths  of  misery  and  despair  ?  Shock- 
ing as  this  may  appear  to  a  reflecting  mind,  it  is  yet  no 
more  than  what  may  be  justly  apprehended  if  the  doctrine 
concerning  fallen  angels  be  entitled  to  the  credit  which  it 
has  so  generally  i-eceived. 

How  different  are  the  views,  which  the  New  Church  takes 
both  of  the  character  of  her  God,  and  of  the  disjiensations  of 
his  love  toward  all  his  creatures  ?  Instead  of  "  limiting  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel,"  she  incessantly  teaches,  that  "  the 
Lord  is  gracious  and  full  of  compassion;  that  he  is  good  to 
all;  and  that  his  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works,"  Ps. 
cxlv.  8,  9  :  consequently  that  angels  are  equally  the  objects 
of  his  care  and  regard  with  men,  and  men  equally  with 
angels ;  nay,  that  being  men,  angels  have  all  experienced 
the  blessings  of  salvation ;  that  not  one  of  their  race  has 
been  passed  by,  and  left  without  remedy  or  hope ;  but  that 
all  the  inhabitants  of  heaven,  as  well  as  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth,  without  exception,  are  at  this  moment  in  posses- 
sion of  the  benefits  of  redemption,  each  according  to  his 
state  of  reception,  angels  in  being  thereby  preserved  in  their 
state  of  integrity,  and  men  in  the  capacity  thereby  acquired 
of  being  regenerated  and  finally  saved. 

Wheresoever  therefore  mention  is  made,  in  the  Word,  of 
Lucifer,  the  son  of  the  morning,  who  fell  from  heaven,  as 
in  Isa.  xiv.  12 ;  or  in  the  Apostolic  Epistles,  of  angels  who 
keep  not  their  first  estate,  but  were  cast  down  to  hell,  as  in 
Jude  6  and  2  Pet.  ii.  4,  we  are  uniformly  to  understand, 
that  the  passages  refer  to  men  of  very  ancient  times,  who 
being  at  first  "perfect  in  their  ways,  until  iniquity  was  found 
in  them,"  Ezek.  xxviii.  15,  and  being  afterward  "  lifted  up 
in  their  heart  because  of  their  beauty,"  ver.  16,  at  length 
gave  themselves  up  to  every  kind  of  vice  and  enormity, 
and  became  as  it  were  devils  incarnate.  This  is  the  true 
scriptural  account  of  the  fall  of  angels,  while  the  commonly 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SAVEDENBORG.  73 


received  opinion  is  mere  poetical  fiction,  and  groundless  im- 
agination. 

XIX. — Heaven  and  the  Church  as  One  Man. 

Speaking  further  on  the  subject  of  redemption,  without 
which  no  man  could  have  been  saved,  nor  could  the  angels 
have  remained  in  a  state  of  integrity,  Swedenborg  assigns 
as  a  reason  for  this  latter  circumstance,  that  "  the  whole 
angelic  heaven,  together  with  the  Church  on  earth,  is  before 
the  Lord  as  a  single  man  ;  the  highest  heaven  constituting 
the  head ;  the  second  and  lowest  heaven,  the  breast  and 
middle  region  of  the  body;  the  Church  on  earth,  the  loins 
and  feet ;  while  the  Lord  himself  is  the  soul  and  life  of  that 
whole  man."  And  he  further  adds,  that  "  the  defection  of 
the  Church  on  earth  may  be  compared  to  a  mortification  in 
the  feet  of  the  natural  body,  by  degrees  rising  upward,  and 
infecting  the  other  parts,  until  in  the  end  it  proves  fatal." 
On  which  Mr.  Pike  takes  occasion  to  exclaim,  "  Here  is 
childish  fiction  !  What  idea  can  be  more  absurd,  or  more 
unfounded  in  Scriptui-e  or  common  sense,  than  this,  that  the 
Church  below  and  the  heavens  above  are  all  united  in  the 
shape  of  one  vast  man  !" 

Childish  and  absurd  as  this  arrangement  of  many  into 
one  form  or  body  may  appear  to  Mr.  Pike,  it  is  precisely 
that  which  the  apostle  Paul  has  repeatedly  pointed  out  in 
several  of  his  Epistles  :  and  if  the  charge  of  folly  and  want 
of  common  sense  be  good  against  one  author,  it  must  apply 
with  equal  force  against  another.  The  Church,  consisting 
of  many  individuals,  is  thus  described  by  the  apostle  above 
named  :  "We  being  many  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  every 
one  members  one  of  another,"  Rom.  xii.  5.  "  Know  ye  not, 
that  your  bodies  are  the  members  of  Christ  f"  1  Cor.  vi.  15. 
"  We  being  many  are  one  bread,  and  one  body,"  1  Cor.  x. 
17.  "  Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  par- 
7 


74 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


ticiilar,"  1  Cor.  xii.  27.  "  The  Gentiles  are  to  be  fellow- 
heirs,  and  of  the  same  body,"  Eph.  iii.  6.  "  We  are  members 
of  his  body,  of  his  flesh  and  of  his  bones:  this  is  a  great 
mystery ;  but  I  speak  concerning  Christ  and  the  Church," 
Eph.  V.  30,  32.  In  various  other  parts  of  his  Epistles  the 
same  apostle  writes  to  the  same  effect,  representing  the 
Church  at  large  as  one  body  under  a  spiritual  view,  united 
together,  not  by  contiguity  of  natural  space,  or  by  heaping 
together  the  bodies  of  the  individual  members  into  one  mass 
of  matter,  so  as  to  resemble  one  gigantic  human  form,  as  Mr. 
Pike  seems  to  understand  the  expression,  but  by  the  ttses 
which  each  individual  of  the  Church  is  capable  of  perform- 
ing to  another,  and  to  the  whole,  mutually  and  reciprocally, 
according  to  the  beautiful  and  edifying  description  given 
in  1  Cor.  xii.  1  to  end.  The  same  may  be  said  of  every 
nation,  kingdom,  and  society  of  men,  each  of  which,  though 
consisting  of  numerous  individuals,  is  yet  as  to  their  several 
offices,  functions,  and  uses,  regarded  by  an  intelligent  mind 
as  one  body,  one  man,  and  not  unfrequently  is  so  called. 

Similar,  but  still  more  expressive  and  sublime,  is  the  idea, 
which  Swedenborg  holds  out  to  his  readers,  when  he  informs 
them,  that  not  only  the  Church  on  earth,  taken  in  a  univer- 
sal sense,  but  the  angelic  heavens  also,  in  conjunction  with 
the  Church,  together  constitute,  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  one 
spiritual  body,  one  grand  man,  according  to  the  endless 
variety  of  uses,  which  an  indefinite  number  of  individuals, 
separately  and  collectively  considered,  are  capable  of  per- 
forming to  each  other.  This  view  of  the  subject  is  not  only 
countenanced  by  the  Apostolic  Writings,  and  by  the  good 
sense  of  every  intelligent  and  contemplative  man,  but  what 
is  more,  it  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  Holy  Word, 
which  repeatedly  presents  before  us  the  Church,  consisting 
of  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands,  concentrated  into  one 
human  form,  male  or  female,  as  the  case  may  be.    Thus  we 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  75 

read  of  Judah,  Israel,  Jacob,  Ephraim,  Aholah,  Aholibah, 
the  daughter  of  Zion,  the  daughter  of  Jerusalem,  the  angel 
of  the  several  churches,  the  bride  and  wife  of  the  Lamb, 
etc.  etc. ;  not  to  mention  a  variety  of  other  names  and 
characters,  which  all  set  forth  the  Church  of  the  Lord  as 
one  aggregate  human  form,  though  it  consist  of  perhaps  in- 
numerable distinct  individuals.  And  yet  this  divine  mode 
of  representing  many  under  one  form,  and  one  name,  is 
rashly  called  by  Mr.  Pike  "  a  childish  fiction ;"  and  is 
branded  by  him  as  a  ridiculous  absurdity,  "having  no 
foundation  whatever  either  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  or  in 
common  sense!" 

XX. — Bearing  Iniquities. 

When  Swedenborg  says,  that  "  by  bearing  iniquities  is 
not  understood  the  removal  of  them,  but  only  to  represent 
the  profanation  of  the  truths  of  the  Word,"  Mr.  Pike  makes 
the  follo\ving  remark :  "  If  bearing  iniquities  meant  the 
profanation  of  the  truths  of  the  Word,  as  it  is  Christ  that  is 
thus  said  to  have  borne  iniquities,  it  must  consequently 
have  been  he  that  profaned  the  truths  of  the  Word.  A 
more  ungenerous  and  perverse  mutilation  of  an  author's 
words  was  surely  never  before  witnessed,  or  a  more  palpable 
proof  of  incapacity  in  drawing  an  inference  was  never  before 
given  by  any  man  professing  to  have  the  use  of  his  facul- 
ties. "  If  (says  Mr.  Pike)  the  bearing  iniquities  meant  the 
profanation  of  the  truths  of  the  Word,"  etc.  But  who  is  it 
that  says  so  ?  The  words  quoted  from  Swedenborg  author- 
ize no  such  supposition.  He  says,  "  By  bearing  iniquities 
is  meant  to  represent  profanation,"  not  that  it  is  itself  pro- 
fanation. Yet  Mr.  Pike,  immediately  after  giving  the  true 
sense  of  the  author,  and  thereby  furnishing  his  readers  with 
an  opportunity  of  detecting  his  sophism,  builds  an  argument, 
not  on  the  real  words  and  meaning  as  quoted  even  by  him- 


76 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


self,  but  on  a  partial  and  mutilated  view  of  the  passage,  as 
if  the  author  had  said,  that  bearing  iniquities  was  profana- 
tion, when  at  the  same  time,  by  the  objector's  own  showing, 
he  asserted,  that  it  only  represented  profanation.  By  such 
a  proceeding  Mr.  Pike  not  only  grossly  injures  the  writer, 
whose  doctrines  he  undertakes  to  comment  upon,  but  actu- 
ally abuses  the  confidence,  which  many  of  his  friends  may 
have  put  in  his  candor  and  impartiality. 

Does  Swedenborg  give  the  least  ground  for  the  insinua- 
tion, that  the  Lord  by  bearing  iniquities  was  guilty  of  pro- 
faning the  truths  of  the  Word  ?  Mr.  Pike  himself  knows 
to  the  contrary :  for  in  the  very  section,  from  which  he 
quotes,  he  must  have  read  (unless  indeed  he  has  only 
skimmed  lightly  over  Swedenborg's  works,  picking  here  and 
culling  there  what  he  thought  might  suit  his  purpose),  that 
the  Jewish  people,  who  were  in  possession  of  the  Holy 
"NVord,  were  the  persons  who  falsified  and  profaned  its 
truths ;  and  that  the  Lord,  who  sufiered  them  to  treat  his 
person  with  the  same  contempt  and  violence,  which  they 
had  offered  to  the  Word,  he  himself  being  the  Word,  thereby 
represented,  in  an  external,  visible  manner,  such  falsifica- 
tion and  profanation.  In  the  same  section  Mr.  Pike  must 
also  have  read,  what  the  author  further  says  of  the  ancient 
custom  of  representing,  in  the  persons  of  the  prophets,  the 
state  of  their  particular  churches  both  with  respect  to  their 
doctrine  and  their  life ;  as  that  the  prophet  Isaiah  was  com- 
manded "  to  loose  the  sackcloth  from  off  his  loins,  and  put 
off  his  shoes  from  his  feet,  and  to  walk  naked  and  barefoot 
three  years  for  a  sign  and  a  wonder,"  Isa.  xx.  2,  3 :  That 
the  prophet  Ezekiel  was  commanded,  for  the  purpose  of 
representing  the  state  of  the  Church,  "to  prepare  him  stuff 
for  removing,  and  to  remove  to  another  place  in  the  sight 
of  the  children  of  Israel,  and  to  bring  forth  his  stuff  by  day 
in  their  sight,  and  to  go  forth  at  even  through  a  hole  dug 


•W-RITIXGS  OF  EMANTJEL  SWEDEXBORO.  77 


in  the  wall,  and  to  cover  his  face  that  he  might  not  see  the 
ground,  and  that  he  might  thus  be  as  a  sign  unto  the  house 
of  Israel ;  and  that  he  should  say,  Behold  !  I  am  your  sign  ; 
like  as  I  have  done,  so  sliall  it  be  done  unto  you,"  Ezek. 
xii.  3  to  7,  11. 

That  the  prophets  in  all  these  cases  represented  the  state 
of  the  Church  in  their  day,  and  thus  became  visible  signs 
to  the  people  of  their  woeful  degeneracy,  and  impending 
destruction,  cannot  be  denied  :  and  that  the  prophet  Ezekiel 
in  particular  bore  the  iniquities  of  the  house  of  Israel  and 
the  house  of  Judah,  yet  did  not  cancel  and  remove  them, 
nor  expiate  and  atone  for  them,  but  only  representeil  and 
pointed  them  out,  is  plain  from  what  follows  in  the  same 
prophet,  where  it  is  said,  that  "  the  staff  of  bread  should  be 
broken  in  Jerusalem,  and  that  they  should  consume  away  for 
their  iniquity,"  chap.  iv.  16, 17.  The  same  is  imderstood  of  the 
Lord,  of  whom,  as  the  grand  prophet,  it  is  written,  "  Surely 
he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows  ;  Jehovah 
hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all ;  by  his  knowleilge 
shall  my  righteous  servant  justify  many,  for  he  shall  bear 
their  iniquities,"  Isa.  liii.  4,  11.  By  thus  bearing  the  iniqui- 
ties of  the  people,  at  the  time  of  the  crucifixion,  is  there- 
fore not  meant,  as  Swedenborg  has  well  observed,  that  the 
Lord  removed  or  abolished  them,  for  they  are  still  too 
prevalent,  but  that  he  represented  the  profonation  of  the 
truths  of  the  Word,  of  which  the  Jewish  Church  had  been 
so  repeatedly  and  notoriously  guilty. 

XXI. — The  Kesurkectiox,  how  Understood. 

The  doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  as  taught  by  Sweden- 
borg, according  to  the  true  sense  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures, 
being  widely  different  from  that  which  is  maintained  by 
the  generality  of  Christians,  who  on  this  point  have  grossly 
misunderstood  the  language  of  divine  revelation,  Jilr.  Pike 
7  * 


78 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


asserts,  that  Swedenborg  "rejects  the  doctrine  of  a  resur- 
rection." He  no  where  rejects  the  true  doctrine  of  the 
resurrection,  but  only  that  crude,  indigested,  and  earthly 
idea,  which  Mr.  Pike  and  so  many  others  have  formed  con- 
cerning the  resurrection  and  future  state  of  man.  He 
maintains,  that  immediately  after  the  death  of  the  material 
body,  which  will  never  be  rcassumed,  every  man  rises 
again  as  to  his  spirit,  and  continues  to  live  as  a  man  in  all 
respects  as  before;  with  this  difference,  that,  instead  of  a 
material  body,  he  is  then  clothed  with  a  spiritual  and  sub- 
statitial  body,  and  that  all  things  around  him  are  also 
spiritual  and  substantial.  This  doctrine  he  confirms  by  an 
appeal  to  those  parts  of  the  Sacred  Scripture,  where  refer- 
ence is  made  to  deceased  men,  now  living  in  spiritual 
bodies,  resembling  in  form  their  former  material  bodies,  but 
essentially  different  from  them,  as  spirit  is  essentially  differ- 
ent from  mattei". 

Mr.  Pike,  in  professing  to  quote  the  words  of  Sweden- 
borg on  the  resurrection,  has  through  negligence  or  inad- 
vertence transcribed  the  language  of  another  person,  a 
priest,  who  is  introduced  as  a  speaker  in  a  conversation 
which  took  place  in  the  spiritual  world.  He  has  also  taken 
occasion,  no  less  than  five  times  in  one  page,  to  sneer  at 
Swedenborg  for  an  expression,  not  used  by  him,  but  by 
the  aforesaid  priest,  who,  after  describing  a  very  common 
opinion  of  the  state  of  disembodied  souls  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world,  and  their  anxious  expectation  of  a 
general  judgment  yet  to  come,  adds,  in  the  words  of  some 
of  his  own  order,  "Supposing  this  to  be  the  state  of  a  man 
after  death,  is  not  the  life  of  an  ass  to  be  preferred  to  that 
of  a  man  ?"  See  Tr.  Chr.  Bel.,  693.  The  author  having 
been  thus  misrepresented,  and  unfairly  dealt  with  by  Mr. 
Pike,  it  is  but  just  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  speak  for 
himself  on  the  subject  of  man's  future  state,  in  order  to 


"WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO.  79 


give  the  reader  an  opportunity  of  forming  his  own  judg- 
ment on  the  comparative  merits  of  the  two  systems,  that 
adopted  by  professing  Christians  in  general,  and  that  main- 
tained by  Swedenborg. 

"It  hath  (says  he)  been  generally  believed,  that  man 
after  death  is  a  mere  soul,  and  the  common  idea  concern- 
ing such  soul  hath  been,  that  it  is  something  like  ether  or 
air,  consequently  that  it  is  like  the  breath  which  goetli  out 
of  a  man's  body  Avhen  he  dies,  in  which  nevertheless  there 
resideth  some  vital  principle.  But  then  it  hath  been  con- 
ceived, that  this  vital  principle  neither  hath  the  faculty  of 
seeing,  such  as  belongeth  to  the  eye,  nor  of  hearing,  such 
as  belongeth  to  the  ear,  nor  of  speaking,  such  as  belongeth 
to  the  organs  of  speech  ;  when  nevertheless  man  after  death 
is  as  much  a  man  as  he  was  before,  and  so  little  changed, 
that  he  does  not  know  but  he  is  still  living  in  the  former 
world  :  for  he  seeth,  heareth,  and  speaketh,  as  in  the  former 
world ;  he  walketh,  runneth,  and  sitteth,  as  in  the  former 
world ;  he  lieth  down,  slecpeth,  and  waketh,  as  in  the 
former  world ;  he  eateth  and  driuketh,  as  in  the  former 
world ;  he  enjoyeth  conjugial  delight,  as  in  the  former 
world ;  in  a  word,  he  is  a  man  in  all  and  every  respect. 
From  which  circumstances  it  is  evident,  that  death  is  not 
an  extinction  but  a  continuation  of  life,  and  consequently 
that  it  is  only  a  passage  from  one  state  to  another. 

"That  man  after  death  is  as  much  a  man  as  he  was  be- 
fore, although  he  is  not  then  apparent  to  the  eyes  of  the 
material  body,  may  reasonably  be  conceived  from  the 
angels  that  appeared  to  Abraham,  Hagar,  Gideon,  Daniel, 
and  some  of  the  prophets,  and  also  from  those  that  were 
seen  in  the  Lord's  sepulchre,  and  afterward  frequently  by 
John,  as  he  relateth  in  the  Revelation.  But  it  may  still 
appear  more  evident  from  the  circumstances  respecting  the 
Lord  himself,  in  that  he  proved  himself  to  be  a  Man  both 


80 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


by  the  touch,  and  by  eating  before  his  disciples,  when 
nevertheless  he  became  invisible  to  their  sight.  AVho  can 
be  so  extravagantly  absurd  as  not  to  acknowledge,  that, 
notwithstanding  his  being  invisible,  lie  was  still  a  Man  as 
before?  The  reason  why  the  disciples  saw  him  was,  be- 
cause their  spiritual  eyes  were  then  opened  ;  and  when  that 
is  the  case,  the  things  of  the  spiritual  world  appear  as  dis- 
tinctly as  the  things  of  the  natui-al  world.  The  difference 
between  a  man  in  the  natural  world  and  a  man  in  the 
spiritual  world  is,  that  the  latter  man  is  clothed  with  a 
substantial  body,  but  the  former  with  a  material  body, 
within  which  is  his  substantial  body ;  and  a  substantial 
man  seeth  a  substantial  man  as  clearly  and  distinctly,  as  a 
material  man  seeth  a  material  man :  a  substantial  man, 
however,  cannot  see  a  material  man,  nor  can  a  material 
man  see  a  substantial  man,  by  reason  of  the  difference 
between  what  is  material  and  what  is  substantial. 

"  In  consequence  of  what  I  have  seen,  and  been  an  eye- 
witness of  for  many  years  together,  I  can  assert  the  follow- 
ing facts  relating  to  the  spiritual  world ;  that  there  are 
earths  in  that  world,  just  as  in  the  natural  world,  and  that 
there  are  also  plains  and  valleys,  mountains  and  hills, 
fountains  and  rivei-s;  that  there  are  paradises,  gardens, 
groves,  and  woods ;  that  there  are  cities,  with  palaces  and 
houses  contained  therein  ;  also  that  there  are  writings  and 
books,  employments  and  merchandises  ;  and  that  there  are 
gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones ;  in  a  word,  that  there  is  in 
the  spiritual  world  all  and  everything  that  is  in  the  natural 
world,  but  that  in  heaven  such  things  are  in  an  infinitely  more 
perfect  state.  The  difference  is,  that  all  things,  which  are 
seen  in  the  spiritual  world,  ai-e  created  in  a  moment  by  the 
Lord,  as  houses,  paradises,  meats,  and  other  things ;  and 
that  they  are  created  according  to  a  correspondence  with 
the  interiors  of  angels  and  sjiirits,  that  is,  with  their  affec- 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEBENBORO.  81 


tions  and  thoughts :  whereas  all  things,  that  are  seen  in  the 
natural  world,  begin  to  exist  and  grow  from  seed."  Tr.  Chr. 
Bel.,  792,  793,  794. 

Such  are  the  views,  which  Swedeuborg  gives  of  the  res- 
urrection, and  the  condition  of  man  in  another  life.  Mr. 
Pike  charges  him  with  denying  a  resurrection,  because  he 
asserts,  that  it  takes  immediate  effect,  on  the  decease  of  the 
material  body !  But  Mr.  Pike  takes  credit  to  himself  for 
believing  a  resurrection,  and  yet  puts  it  off  to  a  distant,  in- 
definite, and  unknown  period,  when  the  earth  is  to  be  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  consequently  when  the  material  bodies 
then  lying  in  graves  must  be  consumed  with  it!  Which 
system  now  looks  most  like  a  denial  of  the  resurrection, 
that  which  assigns  to  it  a  specific  and  swiftly  approaching 
time,  namely,  the  death  of  each  individual  of  the  human 
race ;  or  that  which  defers  it  sine  die,  until  the  sun,  moon, 
and  stars,  are  fairly  worn  out,  or  hurled  together  in  awful 
confusion  upon  this  little  earth  ;  in  other  words,  until  the 
sky  first  melts,  and  then  falls  ?  A  child  may  answer  the 
question.  The  man  who  believes,  or  rather  affects  to  be- 
lieve, in  a  resurrection  of  matter,  accompanied  with  such 
incredible  absurdities  and  impossibilities,  a  resurrection  that 
was  never  heard  or  thought  of  by  any  one  rational  being 
for  the  first  four  thousand  years  after  the  supposed  time  of 
the  creation  of  the  universe,  and  which  for  the  last  fifteen 
hundred  years  has  been  daily  expected  by  the  ministers 
and  slaves  of  the  letter,  without  the  least  sign  or  appear- 
ance of  the  accomplishment  of  such  a  wild  and  fantastical 
theory,  must  be  set  down  as  a  deceiver  of  himself,  a  de- 
ceiver of  the  people,  a  false  prophet,  who  runs  before  he  is 
sent,  and  libels  the  Majesty  of  heaven  by  impeaching  his 
wisdom  in  constructing  a  fabric  capable  of  lasting  only  a 
few  thousand  years. 

Mr.  Pike,  however,  appeals  to  the  Scriptures  for  a  justi- 


82 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


fication  of  his  doctrine,  saying,  that  "  they  assert  with  all 
possible  pla  inness,  that  thai  vei-y  body  which  is  laid  in  the 
grave,  and  which  may  for  centuries  moulder  there,  shall  rise 
again,  in  an  incorruptible  state  ;  and  that  whatever  change 
may  pass  upon  it,  its  identity  will  remain."  Now  the  only 
passage,  which  he  brings  forward  from  the  Divine  Word, 
in  proof  that  it  asserts  with  all  possible  plainness  the  resur- 
rection of  the  material  body,  is  the  following :  "  The  hour 
is  coming,  in  which  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his 
voice,  and  shall  come  forth ;  they  that  have  done  good,  to 
the  resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  to 
the  resurrection  of  damnation,"  John  v.  28,  29.  He  then 
gives  an  extract  from  the  15th  chapter  of  Paul's  first  Letter 
to  the  Corinthians,  and  refers  the  reader  to  the  whole 
chapter. 

That  our  Lord,  in  the  passage  above  quoted,  did  not  as- 
sert the  resurrection  of  the  material  body,  is  plain  from  his 
own  words  in  ver.  25,  where  he  says,  "  The  hour  is  coming, 
a7id  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of 
God;  and  they  that  hear  shall  live."  Who  now  were  these 
dead  men,  that  heard  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  then, 
"  passing  from  death  to  life,"  became  living  men  f  who  but 
such  as  were  heretofore  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  dead  to 
the  joys  and  happiness  of  heaven,  and  alive  only  to  the 
vain  delights  and  pleasures  of  this  wicked  world?  And 
what  are  the  graves  or  sepulchres,  out  of  which  men  are  to 
come  forth,  when  they  are  renewed  and  vivified  by  the 
Lord,  but  those  impure,  filthy  and  sensual  principles  of 
the  bodily  life,  which  confine  man  as  it  were  in  the  cham- 
bers of  death,  and  cause  him  to  dwell  in  the  dust  of  the 
earth  ?  In  this  sense  graves  are  mentioned  in  Num.  xix. 
16,  18;  Ezek.  xxxii.  22  to  26;  chap,  xxxvii.  12,  13;  Ps. 
Ixxxviii.  5,  11 ;  and  in  many  other  places.  In  the  same 
sense,  the  Jews  as  a  rebellious  people,  are  said  to  remain 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  83 


among  the  graves,  aud  lodge  in  the  monuments,  which  eat 
swine's  flesh,  and  broth  of  abominable  things  is  in  their  ves- 
sels," Isa.  Ixv.  4.  The  man  with  au  unclean  spirit  is  also 
said  "to  have  his  dwelling  among  the  tombs;  and  the  legion 
of  devils  within  him,  when  cast  out,  were  desirous  of  en- 
tering into  a  herd  of  sivine,"  Mark  v.  2,  3,  12;  which 
sufficiently  manifests  their  filthy,  sensual,  and  base  appetites. 
The  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  being  hypocrites,  are  themselves 
compared  to  "  ivhitcd  sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beauti- 
ful without,  but  are  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones,  and  of 
all  uncleanness,"  Matt,  xxiii.  27.  And  David  says  of  his 
enemies,  "Their  inward  part  is  very  wickedness;  their 
throat  is  an  open  sepulchre,"  Ps.  v.  9.  From  which  it  ap- 
pears, that  the  very  bodies  of  men,  so  for  as  they  are  the 
receptacles  of  unclean  and  fleshly  lusts,  are  considered 
in  the  Scriptures  as  graves,  out  of  which  not  only  the  re- 
generate but  the  unregenerate  also  are  to  come  forth  at 
death,  the  former  "  to  the  resurrection  of  life,"  and  the 
latter  "  to  the  resurrection  of  damnation."  What  then  be- 
comes of  Mr.  Pike's  assertion,  that  the  resurrection  of  the 
material  body  is  "  ivith  all  possible  plainness"  insisted  upon 
in  the  Word,  when  we  see  that  it  is  that  identical  grave, 
which  in  due  time  must  yield  up  tlie  spirits  of  all  men,  and 
from  which,  "  many  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall 
awake,  some  to  everlasting  life,  and  some  to  shame  aud 
everlasting  contempt  ?"  Dan.  xii.  2. 

XXII. — Difficulties  and  Absurdities  respecting 
THE  Identity  of  the  Material  Body. 

With  respect  to  the  identity  of  the  material  body, 
which,  Mr.  Pike  says,  will  remain,  notwithstanding  the 
many  inconceivable  changes  that  may  pass  upon  it,  is  he 
'aware,  that  the  identical  matter,  which  made  up  the  body 
of  one  man,  may,  and  in  some  cases  actually  does,  form  the 


84 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


compouent  parts  of  another?  and  that  these  two  men,  thus 
claiming  the  same  body,  may  be  sentenced,  the  one  to  heaven, 
and  the  other  to  hell  I  in  which  case  it  would  be  a  point  of 
curiosity  to  ascertain,  to  which  place  the  jaoor  body,  which 
had  been  the  instrument  of  good  to  one,  and  of  evil  to  the 
other,  was  ultimately  to  be  consigned ;  since  it  could  not 
possibly  be  transferred  to  both  at  the  same  time.  Or  has  he 
sufficiently  considered,  that  in  consequence  of  the  perpetual 
resolutions  of  the  bodily  frame,  and  of  new  accessions  of 
matter  in  the  place  of  former  substances,  the  same  man  in 
the  course  of  his  life,  may  have  several  bodies  in  succession 
one  after  another,  in  each  of  which  bodies  he  may  commit 
acts,  for  which  he  must  be  brought  to  judgment?  Of  these 
several  bodies  belonging  to  one  and  the  same  individual, 
which  is  it  that  will  rise  up  at  the  last  day  ?  the  body  that 
he  had  in  infancy,  in  youth,  in  manhood,  or  in  old  age  ? 
Again,  as  the  bodies  of  men  were  eaten  by  wild  beasts,  by 
fishes,  by  worms,  and  by  mice;  and  as  some  of  these 
bodies  will,  at  the  day  of  the  supposed  resurrection  of 
matter,  be  actually  prowling  in  the  forest  under  the  form 
of  wild  beasts,  or  skimming  the  air  as  birds  of  prey,  or 
crawling  in  the  grave  in  the  form  of  worms,  or  swimming 
in  the  waters  as  so  many  sharks  or  pikes,  may  it  not  be 
fairly  asked,  whether  these  beasts,  birds,  and  fishes,  will  or 
will  not  be  called  upon  to  yield  up  such  parts  of  their 
frames  as  are  composed  of  human  flesh  ?  or  whether  the 
spirits  of  resurgent  men,  now  in  search  of  their  proper 
bodies,  and  indignant  at  finding  them  in  such  base  recepta- 
cles, dispersed  through  the  earth,  air,  and  sea,  will  or  will 
not  seize  upon  their  own  long-lost  property,  and  instantly 
metamorphose  those  brute  cannibals  into  rational  beings? 
The  subject  will  not  bear  examination  ;  it  continually  re- 
cedes at  the  approach  of  light,  shelters  itself  in  darkness,"* 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  RWEDENBORG. 


85 


and  at  last  wraps  itself  up  in  the  cloak  of  mystery,  omnipo- 
tence, and  empty  wonder  ! 

XXIII. — The  Doctrine  of  Paul  concerning  the 
Resurrection. 

But  let  us  hear  what  the  apostle  Paul  has  to  say  on  the 
rosurrectiou  ;  since  his  authority  appears  to  be  relied  on  by 
Mr.  Pike  and  his  brethren  much  more  than  the  Word  of 
God  itself.  Dr.  Priestley,  a  leading  Unitarian,  was  pre- 
ci.sely  of  the  same  opinion  with  these  Tri-personalists,  and 
like  them  grounded  his  objections  against  the  doctrines 
of  the  New  Church  on  the  words  and  reasoning  of  Paul,  not 
understood  according  to  their  fair  interpretation,  but  ac- 
cording to  certain  preconceived  ideas,  which  are  as  foreign 
to  the  truth,  as  darkness  is  to  light.  The  answer,  therefore, 
which  was  given  many  years  ago  to  Dr.  Priestley,  who  had 
anticipated  the  greater  part  of  Mr.  Pike's  arguments,  and 
supported  them  by  other  passages  besides  those  adduced  by 
the  latter  gentleman,  may  not  be  unacceptable  to  the  reader 
on  the  present  occasion  : 

"  You  seem  to  lay  great  stress  on  the  account  which  Paul 
gives  of  the  resurrection,  in  1  Thess.  iv.  15  to  17,  where  he 
says,  '  For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the  AVord  of  the  Lord, 
that  we  who  are  alive  and  remain  unto  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  shall  not  prevent  them  who  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord 
himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God ;  and 
the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first.  Then  we,  who  are  alive 
and  remain,  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the 
clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air :  and  so  shall  we  ever 
be  with  the  Lord.'  But  all  this  may  very  easily  be  ex- 
j)lained,  consistently  with  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church, 
by  considering  it  as  spoken  according  to  the  appearances  of 
the  literal  sense  of  the  Word,  which  describes  spiritual 
8 


86 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


things  by  such  images  and  expressions  as  are  accommodated 
to  tiie  apprehension  of  men  in  the  natural  world.  We 
have  already  seen,  that  the  Lord's  second  coming  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven  is  not  to  be  understood  as  alluding  to  the 
atmospherical  clouds  over  our  heads,  but  to  the  literal 
sense  of  the  Word,  and  to  the  appearance  of  clouds  in  the 
spiritual  world.  In  this  view,  the  above  passage  perfectly 
coincides  with  our  sentiments;  for  we  maintain,  that  the 
new  heaven  is  formed  before  the  new  earth  ;  that  is,  the 
New  Church  takes  place  in  the  spiritual  world  before  it 
does  in  the  natural  world ;  which  agrees  with  this  saying, 
that  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first.  And  as  the  Church 
on  earth  will  be  conjoined  with  the  Church  in  heaven,  so  as 
together  to  form  only  one  Church,  like  internal  and  external, 
therefore  it  is  said,  that  we,  who  are  alive  and  remain,  shall 
be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord 
in  the  air ;  that  is,  we  shall  be  enabled,  at  the  Lord's  second 
coming,  when  the  spiritual  sense  of  his  Word  shall  be  re- 
vealed, to  penetrate  through  the  shade  and  obscurity  of  the 
letter,  and,  discerning  the  glory  of  its  inner  contents,  be 
elevated  into  the  heat  and  light  of  heaven,  by  virtue  of 
which  we  shall  worship  the  Lord  alone  in  spirit  and  in 
truth,  as  angels  do  above.  In  any  other  sense,  what  can  be 
meant  by  being  caught  up  in  the  clouds,  and  meeting  the 
Lord  in  the  air?  Surely  every  rational  and  intelligent 
person  must  know,  that  heaven  is  no  more  in  or  above  the 
clouds,  than  it  is  under  them ;  and  that  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  is  equally  as  well  to  be  found  upon  the  earth,  as  in 
any  heights  of  the  air  or  atmosphere. 

"  Another  passage,  which  you  quote  as  apparently  favor- 
able to  your  hypothesis,  is  that  in  1  Cor.  xv.  51,  52,  53, 
where  the  apostle  Paul  says,  '  Behold,  I  show  you  a  mys- 
tery ;  we  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed,  in 
a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump ; 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBOHG.  87 


for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised 
incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed.  For  this  corrupti- 
ble must  put  on  incorruptiou,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on 
immortality.'  In  whatever  sense  these  words  of  the  apostle 
are  to  be  interpreted,  they  ought  at  least  to  be  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  preceiling  verses  of  the  same  chapter. 
The  construction,  wliich  I  observe  you  put  upon  them,  is, 
that  the  same  material  body,  which  is  committed  to  the 
earth,  will  rise  again,  and  be  made  immortal.  But  this  is 
not  the  doctrine  of  Paul ;  for  he  distinguishes  between  the 
natural  corruptible  body  which  is  sown,  and  the  spiritual 
incorruptible  body  which  is  raised.  '  Thou  fool,'  says  he, 
'  that  which  thou  so  west,  thou  sowest  not  that  body  that  shall 
be,'  ver.  37.  'There  are  celestial  bodies,  and  bodies  terres- 
trial,' ver.  40.  '  There  is  a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a 
spiritual  body,'  ver.  44.  '  Now  this  I  say,  brethren,  that 
flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God ;  neither 
doth  corruption  inherit  incorruption,'  ver  50.  Hence,  I 
think,  we  may  fairly  conclude,  that  Paul  maintained  the 
resurrection  of  man's  spiritual  body,  and  not  of  his  material, 
earthly,  and  corruptible  body.  In  agreement  with  this, 
then,  must  the  succeeding  verses,  which  you  have  quoted, 
be  understood.  He  begins,  'Behold,  I  show  you  a  mystery; 
plainly  implying,  that  what  he  is  going  to  add,  is  not  to  be 
understood  literally,  but  spiritually  ;  for  were  it  to  be  taken 
according  to  the  express  tenor  of  the  words,  there  would  be 
no  mystery  in  the  case,  but  a  simple .  prophetic  narration. 
A  mystery  is  something  hidden  from  public  view,  being 
under  the  covering  of  appearances,  which  may  either  be 
misinterpreted  or  properly  understood,  according  to  the 
different  degrees  of  illumination  which  different  persons 
may  possess.  Paul,  in  most  of  his  Epistles,  writes  accord- 
ing to  the  literal  sense  of  the  Word ;  which  indeed  could 
not  have  been  otherwise,  inasmuch  as  the  genuine  spiritual 


88 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


sense  was  not  at  that  time  clearly  revealed.  Hence  the 
appearance  of  predestination  and  of  justification  by  faith 
alone,  so  visible  in  various  parts  of  his  writings,  are  by 
many  confirmed  as  the  genuine  sentiments  of  Paul ;  when 
yet  it  is  sufficiently  clear  from  other  parts,  that  he  in 
reality  maintained  no  such  doctrines.  See  1  Cor.  xiii.  13 : 
'  Now  abideth  faith,  hope,  and  charity ;  but  the  greatest  of 
these  is  charity.^  This  also  is  the  express  doctrine  of  the 
New  Church.  But  writing  as  he  did  according  to  tlie  ap- 
pearances of  truth  in  the  letter  of  Scripture,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  he  should  have  been  misunderstood  by  those  who  pene- 
trated no  further.  Let  us  now  see  what  is  the  real  import 
of  his  words,  agreeably  to  the  true  sense  of  Scripture.  To 
be  changed  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the 
last  trump,  means  nothing  else  but  the  certainty  of  pass- 
ing from  a  natural  into  a  spiritual  state,  at  the  time  of  the 
Lord's  second  coming;  and  this  change  may  take  place, 
according  to  its  measure,  as  well  with  those  who  are  now 
living,  as  with  those  who  are  already  dead.  Not  that  a 
material  body  shall  be  ever  converted  into  a  spiritual  body, 
for  this  is  a  thing  impossible,  as  being  contrary  to  divine 
order ;  but  on  the  death  or  removal  of  the  former,  together 
with  all  the  imperfections  of  its  nature,  man  will  be  endowed 
with  a  spiritual  substantial  body,  in  which  he  will  live  for 
ever,  and  no  more  see  the  corruption  of  death. 

"  '  Paul,'  you  say,  *  compares  the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
1  Cor.  XV.  36,  to  the  revival  of  seed  that  has  been  put 
into  the  ground  ;  and  we  read,  Rev.  xx.  13,  of  the  sea  giving 
up  its  dead.  But  according  to  you,  nothing  that  is  ever 
committed  to  the  ground,  or  to  the  sea,  will  appear  again, 
or  anything  else  in  the  place  of  it.'  With  respect  to  the 
revival  of  seed  that  has  been  put  into  the  ground,  it  is  well 
known,  that  it  is  not  the  same  gross  earthly  substance  of  the 
seed,  which  grows  up  in  the  form  of  a  new  plant  or  tree, 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  89 


but  only  the  spirit  within  it,  which  accumulates /m/i  viatter 
from  the  juices  of  the  soil  in  which  it  is  sown.  Hence  Paul, 
in  the  very  next  verse  to  that  which  you  mention,  says, 
'And  that  which  thou  sowest,  thou  soivest  not  that  body  which 
shall  be,  but  bare  grain,  it  may  chance  of  wheat,  or  of  some 
other  grain.'  This  is  a  true  emblem  of  man's  resurrection ; 
the  material  body,  which  i.s  laid  in  the  grave,  forms  no  part 
of  that  spiritual  and  substantial  body,  with  which  man 
rises ;  but  the  spirit,  which  is  within  the  material  body, 
quits  it  after  death,  and  then  man  lives  as  a  man  in  all  re- 
spects as  before,  only  in  a  more  perfect  state,  in  consequence 
of  being  disencumbered  of  the  gross  body  of  clay.  You 
therefore  do  justice  to  the  members  of  the  New  Church, 
when  you  report  as  their  belief,  that  '  nothing  that  is  ever 
committed  to  the  ground,  or  to  the  sea,  will  ever  appear 
again  :'  but  you  by  no  means  do  justice  to  their  sentiments, 
when  you  represent  them  as  holding,  that  'nothing  else  is 
to  appear  in  the  place  of  it.' 

"  As  to  the  passage  in  Apoc.  xx.  13,  where  it  is  said,  that 
the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  which  were  in  it,  it  has  no  respect 
whatever  to  the  sea  in  the  natural  world,  or  to  the  dead 
bodies  which  have  been  there  consigned.  This  indeed  may 
appear  even  from  the  circumstance,  that  no  notice  is  taken 
of  the  bodies  which  have  been  committed  to  the  earth, 
although  the  number  of  these  latter  immensely  exceeds  that 
of  the  former,  comprising  in  fact  the  general  bulk  of  man- 
kind. But  it  is  still  more  plain  from  the  words  immediately 
following  those  above  quoted,  viz.:  'And  death  and  hell  de- 
livered up  the  dead  which  were  in  them.'  And  again,  ver. 
14,  'Death  and  hell  were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.'  If  we 
take  these  last  words  in  their  mere  literal  sense,  we  shall  be 
under  the  necessity  of  supjxising,  that  hell  shall  be  cast  into 
hell,  which  is  a  manifest  absurdity.  And  if  hell  deliver  up 
the  dead,  in  order  to  present  them  before  the  judgment- 
8  * 


90  A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 

seat,  it  will  follow,  that  some  men  are  consigned  to  hell, 
immediately  on  their  death,  not  only  before  sentence  of  con- 
demnation is  passed  ujion  them,  but  even  before  they  are 
arraigned  at  the  bar,  and  tried ;  which  is  utterly  incon- 
sistent with  every  principle  of  justice,  whether  human  or 
divine.  This  doctrine,  moreover,  is  particularly  unfavor- 
able to  the  scheme  which  you  have  adopted,  respecting  the 
state  of  souls  after  the  death  of  the  body ;  for  you  suppose, 
that  then  the  life  of  man  becomes  extinct,  and  that  he 
neither  goes  to  heaven  nor  to  hell,  until  the  arrival  of  a 
certain  grand  but  awful  day,  usually  called  the  end  of  the 
world,  and  day  of  judgment,  when  souls  and  bodies  are  to 
be  reunited,  and  for  the  first  time  either  raised  to  heaven, 
or  thrust  down  into  hell. 

"That  man,  however,  rises  again  immediately  after 
death,  is  evident  from  many  passages  in  the  Word,  par- 
ticularly the  following:  'Jesus  said  to  the  thief  on  the 
cross,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee.  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me 
in  paradise,'  Luke  xxiii.  43.  The  same  also  appears  from 
what  the  Lord  said  concerning  Dives  and  Lazarus,  that 
Dives  went  to  hell,  and  thence  conversed  with  Abraham ; 
and  that  Lazarus  went  to  heaven  ;  and  all  this  while  men 
were  still  living  in  the  world,  consequently  before  what  is 
generally  understood  by  the  day  of  judgment:  for  when 
Dives  entreated  Abraham  to  send  Lazarus  from  the  dead 
to  warn  his  brethren,  Abraham  answered,  'If  they  hear 
not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead,'  Luke  xvi.  31.  It  is  further 
written,  'I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of 
Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob.  God  is  not  the  God  of  the 
dead,  hit  of  the  living,'  Matt.  xxii.  32.  Hence  it  appears, 
that  Al)raham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  notwithstanding  the  death 
of  their  bodies,  are  still  alive.    The  angel  likewise  said 


AVraTIXGS  OF  EMAXUEL  SWEDEXBORO,  91 


unto  John,  who  fell  down  to  worship  him,  'I  am  thy  felloic- 
scrvant,  and  of  thy  brethren  the  prophets'  Apoc.  xix.  10; 
chap.  xxii.  9 :  a  demonstrative  proof  this,  not  only  that 
man  lives  as  a  man  after  death,  prior  to  the  general  judg- 
ment, but  also  that  angels  are  of  the  human  race,  being  no 
other  than  deceased  men.  So  again,  when  Jesus  was  trans- 
figured before  Peter,  James,  and  John,  there  appeared  unto 
them  'Moses  and  Elias  talking  with  him,'  Matt.  xvii.  3. 
And  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  chap.  x.  30,  Cornelius 
said,  'I  prayed  in  my  house,  and  behold,  a  man  stood  be- 
fore me  in  bright  clothing ;'  which  same  man  is  called  an 
angel  of  God,  ver.  3,  7,  22. 

"  When  a  proposition  is  clearly  proved,  it  is  unnecessary 
to  urge  further  arguments  on  the  same  subject.  I  shall 
therefore  conclude  my  remarks  on  the  resurrection,  by 
briefly  showing  who  are  the  persons  meant  by  the  living, 
and  who  by  the  dead,  that  are  to  be  judged  at  the  last  day; 
for  I  observe  you  all  along  take  the  account  of  the  judg- 
ment according  to  the  first  and  lowest  sense  of  the  words, 
Avhen  yet,  to  be  truly  rational  in  our  conceptions,  we  ought 
to  elevate  our  minds  to  their  highest  sense,  and  thus  from 
the  letter  ascend  to  the  spirit.  All  who  die  in  a  state  of 
regeneration,  are  in  the  language  of  Scripture  called  living 
men;  but  all  who  depart  in  an  unregenerate  state,  are 
termed  dead.  Both  descriptions  of  men  will  be  judged ; 
the  former,  as  having  the  spirit  of  true  life  within  them,  to 
life  eternal ;  but  the  latter,  as  being  destitute  of  that  life, 
to  death  eternal :  life  eternal  is  the  life  of  angels  in  heaven ; 
but  death  eternal  is  the  life  of  devils  in  hell.  The  Lord 
alone  knoweth  the  true  state  of  every  man ;  therefore  the 
Lord  alone  is  the  judge  of  every  man ;  and  he  will  give  to 
every  one  according  to  his  works,  whether  they  have  been 
good  or  bad.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  judging  the  living 
and  the  dead,  good  and  evil  being  the  only  proper  distinc- 


92 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


tion  between  life  and  death,  as  invariably  set  forth  in  the 
Word  of  God."* 

XXIV. — Prevailing  Errors  concerning  the  Last 
Judgment. 

Mr.  Pike,  next  charges  Swedenborg  with  denying  a 
general  judgment,  which  is  to  be  accompanied  with  the 
destruction  of  the  visible  heavens  and  the  habitable  earth. 
But  as  he  does  not  by  any  means  give  a  fair  account  of 
what  that  enlightened  author  has  written  on  the  subject, 
it  may  be  expedient  to  state  not  only  his  views,  but  the 
opinions  commonly  entertained  concerning  the  last  day  ;  as 
by  contrasting  the  one  side  with  the  other,  the  unprejudiced 
reader  will  be  the  better  enabled  to  discover  the  truth. 

"The  prevailing  opinion  at  this  day  in  all  churches  is, 
that  the  Lord,  when  he  shall  come  to  the  last  judgment,  is 
to  appear  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  angels,  and  the 
sound  of  trumpets,  and  to  gather  together  all  who  dwell  on 
the  earth,  and  at  the  same  time  all  that  ever  died,  and  to 
separate  the  evil  from  the  good,  as  a  shepherd  separateth 
the  goats  from  the  sheep ;  and  that  then  he  will  cast  the 
evil,  or  the  goats,  into  hell,  and  raise  up  the  good,  or  the 
sheep,  into  heaven :  and  further,  that  he  will  at  the  same 
time  create  a  new  visible  heaven,  and  a  new  habitable 
earth,  and  on  this  new  earth  will  make  to  descend  a  city, 
■which  is  to  be  called  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  is  to  be  built 
according  to  the  description  given  in  the  Revelation,  chap, 
xxi.  viz. :  of  jasper  and  gold,  and  the  foundation  of  its 
walls  to  be  of  every  precious  stone,  and  its  height,  breadth, 
and  length  equal,  each  twelve  thousand  furlongs ;  and  that 
tlie  elect  are  to  be  gathered  togetlier  into  this  city,  as  well 
those  that  are  alive,  as  those  that  have  died  since  the  crea- 
tion of  the  world ;  and  that  the  latter  will  then  return  into 
*  See  Letters  to  Br.  Priestly,  p.  327  to  337. 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  93 

their  bodies,  and  enjoy  everlasting  bliss  in  this  magnificent 
city,  as  in  their  heaven.  This  is  the  prevailing  opinion  at 
this  day,  in  all  Christian  churches,  concerning  the  coming 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  last  judgment. 

"In  regard  to  the  state  of  souls  after  death,  both 
generally  and  particularly,  the  common  belief  at  this  day 
is,  that  human  souls  are  mere  airy  beings,  of  which  it  is 
impossible  to  form  any  idea  but  as  of  a  vapor  or  exhala- 
tion ;  and  that  in  consequence  of  this  their  state  and 
nature,  they  are  reserved  to  the  day  of  the  last  judgment, 
either  in  the  middle  of  the  earth,  or  in  the  limbm  of  the 
ancient  fathers.  But  on  this  point  there  are  various  opin- 
ions :  some  suppose,  that  they  are  ethereal  or  aerial  forms, 
and  thus  that  they  are  like  ghosts  and  spectres,  and  that 
certain  of  them  d\¥ell  in  the  air,  others  in  woods,  and 
others  in  waters.  Some  again  suppose,  that  the  souls  of 
the  deceased  are  translated  to  the  planets,  or  to  the  stars, 
and  have  abodes  allotted  them  therein  :  and  some  again, 
that  after  a  thousand  years  they  return  back  into  material 
bodies.  But  the  general  notion  is,  that  they  are  reserved 
till  the  time,  when  the  whole  firmament,  together  with  the 
terraqueous  globe,  shall  be  destroyed  ;  and  that  this  will  be 
effected  by  fire,  either  bursting  from  the  centre  of  the 
earth,  or  cast  down  from  heaven  as  a  general  blaze  of 
lightning ;  and  that  then  the  graves  will  be  opened,  and 
the  souls  that  were  reserved  will  be  clothed  again  with  their 
bodies,  some  in  a  lower  region,  some  in  a  higher,  because 
the  height  of  the  city  is  to  be  twelve  thousand  furlongs, 
like  its  length  and  breadth,  Apoc.  xxi.  16. 

"  "When  a  clergyman  or  layman  is  asked,  whether  he 
firmly  believes  all  these  things,  as  that  the  antediluvians, 
together  with  Adam  and  Eve,  and  the  postdiluvians, 
together  with  Noah  and  his  sons,  and  also  that  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  together  with  all  the  prophets  and  apos- 


94 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


ties,  in  like  manner  as  the  souls  of  all  other  men,  are  still 
reserved  in  the  middle  parts  of  the  earth,  or  flying  about  in 
the  ether  or  air ;  and  also  whether  he  believes,  that  their 
souls  will  be  again  clothed  with  their  bodies,  and  enter  into 
connection  again  with  carcasses  eaten  by  worms,  by  mice, 
by  fish,  or  (as  in  the  case  witli  Egyptian  mummies)  by  men, 
and  with  skeletons  parched  in  the  sun,  and  reduced  to  pow- 
der ;  if  clergymen  or  laymen,  I  say,  be  asked  whether  they 
believe  all  this,  or  whether  such  conceits  are  not  mere  para- 
doxes, which  like  all  other  contradictory  notions  are  dis- 
pelled and  dissipated  by  right  reason,  some  of  them  make 
no  reply  to  such  questions ;  some  insist,  that  such  points 
are  matters  of  faith,  and  that  the  understanding  ought  to 
be  kept  in  obedience  thereto ;  some  again  argue,  that  not 
only  these  things,  but  also  many  others,  which  are  above 
the  comprehension  of  reason,  are  of  the  divine  omnipotence  ; 
and  when  they  mention  faith  and  omnipotence,  sound  reason 
is  set  aside,  and  either  disappears  like  a  thing  annihilated, 
or  becometh  like  a  spectre,  and  is  called  a  thing  unsound. 
To  this  they  add.  Are  not  such  things  agreeable  to  the 
Word  ?  and  ought  not  that  to  be  the  rule  and  measure  of 
whatever  we  think  or  speak  ?"  Tr.  Chr.  Eel.,  768,  769,  770. 

Such  appears  to  be  the  commonly  received  opinion  con- 
cerning the  state  of  man  after  death,  and  the  last  day, 
when  the  universe,  though  the  workmanship  of  consummate 
wisdom,  is  expected  to  be  burnt  up,  and  destroyed  by  the 
same  Omnipotent  Hand  that  brought  it  into  existence. 
Let  us  now  see  the  contrast  of  this  sad  and  dismal  picture 
in  the  language  of  soberness  and  truth,  as  drawn  by  th6 
same  author,  Emanuel  Swedenborg. 

XXV. — The  State  of  Man  after  Death. 

"  The  Word,  as  to  the  letter,  is  written  according  to  ap- 
pearances and  correspondences,  and  therefore  there  is  a 


■WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  95 


spiritual  sense  contained  in  every  part  of  it,  in  which  sense 
truth  appears  in  its  own  proper  light,  whilst  the  sense  of 
the  letter  is  in  a  kind  of  shade.  Wherefore  lest  the  members 
of  the  New  Church,  like  those  of  the  Old,  should  wander 
in  the  shade  of  the  literal  sense  of  the  "Word,  particularly 
in  regard  to  heaven  and  hell,  and  to  a  lite  after  death, 
and  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  it  has  pleased  the  Lord  to 
open  my  spiritual  sight,  and  thereby  to  let  me  into  the 
spiritual  world,  and  not  only  to  convei-se  with  spirits  and 
angels,  and  with  my  relations  and  friends,  nay,  with  kings 
and  princes,  who  have  departed  out  of  the  natural  world, 
but  also  to  see  the  stupendous  things  of  heaven,  and  the 
miserable  scenes  of  hell,  and  thus  to  be  convinced  that  man 
doth  not  live  after  death  in  any  hidden  caverns  of  the 
earth,  or  fly  about  blind  and  dumb  in  air,  or  in  an  empty 
void,  but  that  he  liveth  as  a  man  in  a  substantial  body,  and 
in  a  much  more  perfect  state  if  he  goeth  among  the  blessed, 
than  he  lived  before  in  a  material  body.  To  prevent  there- 
fore man's  plunging  himself  deeper  into  a  false  opinion 
concerning  the  destruction  of  the  visible  heaven  and  the 
habitable  earth,  and  thereby  concerning  the  spiritual 
world,  in  consequence  of  that  ignorance  which  at  this  day 
is  the  true  source  of  naturalism  and  atheism,  and  to  pre- 
vent such  atheism  from  spreading  and  affecting  man's 
external  mind,  wherein  his  speech  originates,  as  they  have 
begun  to  affect  and  to  take  root  in  the  rational  mind,  es- 
pecially among  the  learned,  the  Lord  hath  enjoined  me  to 
publish  some  of  the  various  things  that  I  have  seen  and 
heard,  as  well  in  relation  to  heaven  and  hell,  as  to  the 
last  judgment ;  and  also  to  unfold  the  Apocalypse,  which 
treats  of  the  Lord's  coming,  and  of  the  former  heaven, 
and  of  the  New  Church,  and  of  the  Holy  Jerusalem ;  from 
the  reading  and  understanding  whereof  every  one  may 
see  what  is  there  meant  by  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  and 


96 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


by  the  New  Heaven,  and  by  the  New  Jerusalem."  Tr.  Chr. 
Be/.,  771. 

XXVI. — The  True  Scriptural  Doctrine  of  the  Last 
Judgment. 

The  same  author,  writing  particularly  on  the  subject  of  the 
last  judgment,  has  clearly  shown  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures, 
that  several  judgments  have  taken  place  since  the  creation  ; 
and  that  they  were  each  accomplished  in  the  spiritual  world, 
where  men  are  collected  together,  at  the  close  of  their  res- 
pective churches.  He  also  in  the  most  solemn  manner  de- 
clares, that  the  judgment  predicted  in  the  Gospels,  and  in 
the  Apocalypse,  was  actually  performed  in  the  year  1757, 
he  being  an  eye-witness  of  the  same.  See  Last  Judg.,  45, 
46. ;  Tr.  Chr.  Bel,  115,  772.  But  that  such  an  assertion 
may  not  pass  unheeded,  or  be  set  down  as  a  proof  of  a  de- 
luded mind,  let  the  following  considerations  be  carefully 
attended  to,  and  the  reader  will  find  good  reason  to  pause 
before  he  jironounces  a  rash  or  unfavorable  opinion  ;  since 
the  events,  which  are  now  taking  place  in  the  moral  world, 
must  owe  their  origin  to  an  adequate  cause,  and  that  cause 
must  be  a  spiritual  one,  because  all  effects  in  the  natural 
world  are  produced  from  causes  in  the  spiritual  world. 

The  great  change  that  took  place  at  the  time  of  the  Lord's 
first  coming,  consisted  not  so  much  in  the  adoption  of  any 
new  external  forms  of  worship,  as  in  a  7iew  capacity  men 
received  for  understanding  the  interior  things  of  heaven 
and  the  Church.  Everything  before  was  typical  or  repre- 
sentative ;  but  when  He  came,  of  whom  all  the  Scriptures 
testify,  and  to  whom  they  all  referred,  then  the  whole  cloud 
of  shadows  and  representatives,  that  veiled  the  light  of  the 
sun,  disappeared,  and  the  minds  of  men  received  new  illu- 
mination, as  it  is  written,  "  The  people,  that  walked  in 
darkness,  have  seen  a  great  light;  they  that  dwell  in  the 


WKITIXGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEXBORO.  97 


shadow  of  death,  upon  them  hath  the  light  shined,"  Isa. 
ix.  2. 

By  the  Scriptures  we  are  informed,  that  several  general 
judgments  have  taken  place,  prior  to  that  of  which  we  are 
now  speaking,  and  which  is  stated  to  have  been  accom- 
plished in  the  spiritual  world  in  the  year  1757.  The  fii-st 
was  the  last  judgment  of  the  Most  Ancient  Church,  when 
all  charity  and  faith  perished,  and  which  is  described  in 
Genesis  by  the  flood.  At  that  time,  according  to  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  heaven  and  earth  passed 
away,  in  other  words,  the  internals  and  externals  of  the 
church  perished,  and  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  were 
created,  that  is,  a  new  church,  which  succeeded  the  former, 
and  may  be  called  the  Ancient  Church.  The  last  judgment 
of  this  second  general  church,  which  included  many  par- 
ticular churches,  was  when  it  came  to  its  consummation  by 
the  many  idolatries  to  which  it  gave  birth.  Immediately 
after  this  was  raised  up  the  Representative  of  a  Church 
among  the  posterity  of  Jacob ;  the  last  judgment  upon 
which,  and  upon  the  remains  of  former  churches,  took 
place  at  the  time  of  the  Lord's  first  coming  into  the  world. 
The  pro]>het  Isaiah  speaks  of  this  judgment,  to  be  accom- 
plished by  the  Lord,  in  the  following  terms:  "Who  is  this 
that  Cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah, 
travelling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength?  I  that  speak 
in  rigliteousness,  mighty  to  save.  I  have  trodden  the  wine- 
press alone :  /  will  tread  them  in  mine  anger,  and  trample 
them  in  my  fury ;  and  their  blood  shall  be  sprinkled  upon 
my  garments,  and  I  will  stain  all  my  raiment.  For  the 
day  of  vengeance  is  in  my  heart,  and  the  year  of  my  re- 
deemed is  come,"  Isa.  Ixiii.  1,  3,  4.  Hence  it  appears,  that 
judgment  and  redemption  commence  at  the  same  time. 

The  Lord  himself  also,  when  he  was  in  the  act  of  fulfill- 
ing the  ancient  prophecies,  and  executing  the  judgment, 


98 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


says,  "Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world;  now  shall  the 
prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out,  John  xii.  31.  Again,  "For 
judgment  I  am  come  into  this  world,"  John  ix.  39.  In  an- 
other place,  "Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  The  hour  is 
coming,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  God  ;  and  they  that  liear  shall  live.  For  as  the 
Father  hath  life  in  himself,  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to 
have  life  in  himself ;  and  hath  given  him  authority  to  exe- 
cute judgment  also,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  Man,"  John  v. 
25,  26,  27.  And  again,  "  Be  of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome 
the  world,"  John  xvi.  33. 

From  these  and  similar  passages  it  is  evident,  that  a  day 
of  judgment  is  not  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures,  as  an  event 
which  has  never  yet  in  any  former  period  taken  place,  or 
as  decisive  of  the  fate  of  every  individual  of  the  human 
race ;  for  we  find,  that  the  Lord,  when  on  earth,  actually 
accomplished  a  judgment,  not  upon  the  whole  race  of  man- 
kind, but  only  upon  a  certain  number  of  those  who  were 
deceased,  and  consequently  in  the  spiritual  world. 

That  the  habitable  earth  was  not  to  be  destroyed  at  the 
time  of  the  last  judgment,  is  plain  from  the  Lord's  words 
in  Luke :  "  I  tell  you,  in  that  night  there  shall  be  two  men 
in  one  bed ;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  shall  be 
left  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  together ;  the  one  shall 
be  taken,  and  the  other  left.  Two  men  shall  be  in  the  field ; 
the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left,"  Luke  xvii.  34  to 
36.  Here  the  last  time  of  the  Church  is  called  night,  be- 
cause there  is  no  genuine  faith  or  truth  remaining,  in  con- 
sequence of  there  being  no  true  spiritual  charity :  but  that 
the  world  would  not  then  be  destroyed,  is  plainly  declared 
by  the  circumstance  of  some  being  left,  while  others  are 
removed.  The  same  doctrine  may  be  confirmed  from  the 
following  passages :  "Jehovah  built  his  sanctuary  like  high 
palaces,  like  the  earth  which  he  hath  established  for  ever," 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  99 


Ps.  Ixxviii.  69.  "Thou  hast  established  the  earth,  and  it 
abideth,"  Ps.  cxix.  90.  "One  generation  passeth  away, 
and  another  generation  cometh:  but  the  earth  abideth  for 
ever,"  Eccles.  i.  4. 

These  considerations  sufficiently  prove,  that  the  doctrine 
of  the  New  Church,  respecting  the  last  judgment  and  the 
second  advent  of  the  Lord,  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the 
Word  of  God ;  while  all  those  systems,  which  suppose  the 
destruction  of  the  universe  as  the  necessary  consequence  of 
that  event,  can  be  considered  in  no  other  light,  than  as  so 
many  idle  di-eams  and  dreadful  chimeras,  calculated  to 
frighten  mankind,  and  to  inspire  them  with  no  one  useful 
or  rational  sentiment,  but  on  the  contrary  with  dismal  ex- 
pectation and  useless  alarm. 

The  end  of  creation  is  the  formation  of  an  angelic 
heaven  out  of  the  human  race,  which,  as  an  image  of  the 
Creator,  may  bear  some  respect  to  his  infinity,  his  im- 
mensity, and  his  eternity.  But  this  respect  to  infinity,  im- 
mensity, and  eternity,  would  cease,  were  the  habitable  earth 
to  be  destroyed  at  the  day  of  the  last  judgment:  for  then 
by  a  period  being  put  to  the  procreations  of  mankind,  the 
extent  of  heaven,  together  with  the  number  of  its  inhabit- 
ants, would  be  limited.  Whereas  it  is  highly  reasonable 
to  suppose,  that,  as  the  human  mind,  which  is  a  heaven  in 
its  smallest  form,  increases  in  perfection  according  to  the 
plurality  of  its  knowledges,  so  the  angelic  heaven  will  like- 
wise advance  in  perfection,  and  thus  more  and  more  re- 
semble its  Creator,  according  to  the  perpetually  increasing 
number  of  its  inhabitants.  Hence  the  doctrines,  which 
ascribe  to  the  Divine  Being  an  end  worthy  of  himself  in 
the  creation  of  the  world,  by  making  provision  for  the  per- 
petual generations  and  eternal  successions  of  mankind, 
must  be  the  most  rational  in  themselves,  as  well  as  most 
conformable  to  divine  revelation,  when  properly  understood. 


100 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


XXVII.  — The  Particular  Judgment  of  Individuals 

AFTER  Death. 
It  may  be  supposed,  and  indeed  has  been  charged  upon 
the  members  of  the  New  Church,  that,  according  to  their 
vieM's,  since  the  last  judgment  is  already  past,  no  future 
judgment  is  now  to  be  looked  for.  But  this  is  not  a  true 
representation  of  their  belief:  for  though  they  give  full 
credit  to  what  Swedenborg  asserts  with  respect  to  the  last 
general  judgment,  spoken  of  in  the  Gospels  and  the  Apoca- 
lypse, which  was  executed  in  the  spiritual  world  in  the 
year  1757,  yet  they  are  well  assured  by  the  testimony  of 
the  Scriptures  throughout,  that  every  man  mi  particular 
will  be  judged  immediately  after  death,  and  that  he  will 
then  be  rewarded  according  to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body, 
whether  they  have  been  good  or  evil.  The  last  judgment 
they  consider  to  be  of  various  signification,  general,  par- 
ticular, and  singular ;  general,  as  having  respect  to  the  end 
of  a  church ;  particular,  in  reference  to  the  death  of  in- 
dividuals;  and  singular,  so  far  as  the  future  state  of  man 
is  to  be  determined  by  every  thought  and  affection,  every 
word  and  work  of  his  past  life. 

XXVIII.  — The  supposed  Destruction  of  the  Hea- 
vens AND  THE  Earth  by  Fire,  a  gross  Error. 

It  was  observed  above  that  the  visible  heavens  and  the 
habitable  earth  are  not  to  be  destroyed  at  the  time  of  the 
last  judgment,  neither  the  first  nor  the  second  coming  of 
the  Lord  being  for  any  such  purpose.  What  then,  it  may 
be  asked,  is  to  be  understood  by  those  passages  in  the  Apos- 
tolic Epistles,  which  seem  to  intimate  that  as  the  old  world 
perished  by  water,  so  the  present  frame  of  creation  is  to  be 
consumed  by  fire  ?  The  following  are  quoted  by  Mr.  Pike, 
and  he  no  doubt  thinks  them  unanswerable:  "  The  heavens 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL,  SWEDENBORO.  101 


and  the  earth,  which  are  now,  are  reserved  unto  fire  against 
the  day  of  judgment.  The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a 
thief  in  the  night,  in  wliich  the  heavens  being  on  fire  shall 
be  dissol ved,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat ; 
the  earth  also,  and  the  works  that  arc  therein,  shall  be  burnt 
up.  Seeing  then  that  all  these  things  shall  be  dissolved, 
what  manner  of  persons  ought  ye  to  be?"  2  Pet.  iii.  7,  10, 11. 
A  passage  from  the  Word,  though  not  adduced  by  Mr.  Pike, 
is  also  thought  by  many  to  countenance  the  same  idea.  The 
prophet  says,  "  Behold,  the  day  cometh  that  shall  burn  as 
an  oven,  and  all  the  proud,  yea,  and  all  that  do  wickedly, 
shall  be  as  stubble,  and  the  day  that  cometh  shall  burn  them 
up,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts,"  Mai.  iv.  1. 

The  prophet  Malachi  announces  the  approach  of  a  day 
that  shall  burn  as  an  oven,  and  he  calls  it  "  the  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  Jehovah,"  in  which  the  wicked  shall  be 
burnt  up  as  stubble.  But  the  day  of  which  he  speaks  is 
evidently  that  of  the  Lord's  first  advent  into  the  world,  for 
in  the  same  chapter  the  birth  and  office  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist, under  the  character  of  Elijah  the  prophet,  and  as  the 
immediate  forerunner  of  the  Messiah,  are  plainly  predicted  ; 
and  it  is  added,  that  "  he  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the  fathers 
to  the  children,  and  the  heart  of  the  children  to  the  fathers, 
lest  the  Lord  come  and  smite  the  earth  with  a  curse,"  ver.  6. 
And  in  ver.  2  the  godly  are  comforted  with  the  promise, 
that  "to  them  the  Son  of  righteousness  shall  arise  with 
healing  in  his  wings."  Now  I  would  ask.  Was  it  literally 
true  that  the  day  burned  as  an  oven,  at  the  period  here 
alluded  to  by  the  prophet?  Was  the  earth  in  a  state  of 
conflagration  at  that  time?  Or  were  the  wicked  literally 
burnt  up  with  fire  and  consumed  as  mere  stubble?  On  the 
contrary,  is  it  not  plainly  enough  stated,  that,  notwithstand- 
ing the  fire  which  would  then  rage,  still  the  earth  would  be 
preserved,  and  not  smitten  with  a  curse? 
9  * 


102 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


It  is  again  written,  "  Behold,  the  day  of  Jehovah  cometh, 
cruel  both  with  wrath  and  fierce  anger ;  the  stars  of  hea- 
ven, and  the  constellations  thereof,  shall  not  give  their  light ; 
the  sun  shall  be  darkened  in  his  going  forth,  and  the 
moon  shall  not  cause  her  light  to  shine.  I  will  shake  the 
heavens,  and  the  earth  shall  remove  out  of  her  place,  in  the 
wrath  of  Jehovah,  and  in  the  day  of  his  fierce  anger," 
Isa.  xiii.  9,  10,  13.  "  The  earth  is  utterly  broken  down,  the 
earth  is  clean  dissolved,  the  earth  is  moved  exceedingly,  the 
earth  shall  reel  to  and  fro  like  a  drunkard ;  then  the  moon 
shall  be  confounded,  and  the  sun  ashamed,  when  Jehovah 
of  hosts  shall  reign  in  mount  Zion  and  in  Jerusalem,"  Isa. 
xxiv.  19,  20,  23.  "  The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness, 
and  the  moon  into  blood,  before  the  great  and  terrible  day 
of  Jehovah  come,"  Joel  ii.  31.  The  Psalmist  also  says, 
"  The  earth  and  all  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  dissolved," 
Ps.  Ixxv.  3.  Here  again  it  may  be  asked.  Was  it  literally 
true  that  at  or  immediately  preceding  the  coming  of  the 
Loi"d  the  sun  was  darkened,  the  moon  turned  into  blood,  and 
the  stars  of  heaven  refused  to  give  their  light  ?  Were  the 
visible  heavens  put  into  a  state  of  extreme  agitation  or  con- 
cussion at  the  time  spoken  of  ?  Was  the  earth  utterly  broken 
down,  clean  dissolved,  and  moved  out  of  its  place,  reeling  to 
and  fro  like  a  drunkard  ?  Or  was  there  ever  a  period  when 
the  earth  and  all  its  inhabitants  were  literally  dissolved  f 
Yet  this  is  the  language  of  the  Holy  Word,  and  we  must 
believe  that  all  these  things  literally  occurred,  if  the  doc- 
trine maintained  by  the  opponents  of  the  New  Church  be 
true,  that  the  expressions  used  in  Scripture  are  to  be  inter- 
preted according  to  their  obvious  meaning,  and  not  accord- 
ing to  their  spiritual  signification. 

The  same  remarks  will  apply  to  the  passage  quoted  from 
Peter's  Second  Epistle,  which,  in  imitation  of  the  literal 
sense  of  the  Word,  and  probably  in  language  borrowed 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  103 


from  a  writer  much  more  ancient  than  himself,*  speaks  of 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  being  reserved  unto  fire  against 
the  day  of  judgment,  when  they,  together  with  all  things 
in  them,  are  to  be  burnt,  dissolved,  and  destroyed.  We  pro- 
ceed, therefore,  to  explain  what  is  reallj-  meant  by  the  hea- 
vens and  the  earth,  which  are  to  be  destroyed  at  the  last 
day,  and  what  by  the  fire  which  is  to  burn  and  consume 
them. 

Nothing  is  more  common  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  than 
to  describe  the  things  relating  to  the  Church  by  those  which 
appear  in  nature,  such  as  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  the 
heavens,  the  earth,  fire,  water,  rain,  mountains,  hills,  val- 
leys, rivers,  trees,  etc.,  each  of  which  terms  is  expressive  of 
something  spiritual  in  man,  either  of  a  superior  or  of  an 
inferior  quality.  And  it  is  observable  that  the  same  terms 
have  a  twofold  application,  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
subject  treated  of,  being  sometimes  used  to  denote  states  of 
good  and  truth,  and  at  other  times  the  opposite  states  of 
evil  and  falsehood.  Thus,  when  a  new  Church  is  to  be 
raised  up  instead  of  a  former,  which  has  perished,  it  is 
written,  "  Behold,  I  create  new  heavens,  and  a  new  earth ; 
and  the  former  shall  not  be  remembered,  nor  come  into 
mind,"  Isa.  Ixv.  17  ;  Apoc.  xxi.  1 ;  where  the  heavens  denote 
the  internals  of  the  Church,  and  the  earth  its  externals.  So 
again  fire  is  a  term  used  to  denote,  in  a  good  sense,  love, 
tvannth  of  affection,  ardent  desire,  fervent  zeal,  etc.,  and  in  an 
opposite  sense,  wrath,  anger,  fury,  hatred,  hist,  and  every 
state  of  mental  irritation.  In  the  former  sense,  the  Word 
of  the  Lord  is  compared  to  fire  in  Jeremiah :  "  Is  not  my 
word  like  as  a  firef  saith  Jehovah,"  Jer.  xxiii.  29  ;  mean- 
ing that  it  is  full  of  love  and  mercy  to  the  human  race. 
The  same  divine  love  of  the  Lord,  in  itself  perpetual  and 
eternal,  was  represented  by  the  fire  upon  the  altar,  which 

*  Compare  2  Pet.  iii.  10-12  and  Jude  14,  15. 


104 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


was  kept  continually  burning,  Levit.  vi.  12,  13.  And  it  is 
also  in  reference  to  the  same  divine  love  that  the  Lord  is 
said  to  "baptize  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  with  fire" 
Matt.  iii.  11 ;  Luke  iii.  16.  In  an  opposite  sense,  fire  and 
its  destructive  effects  are  thus  spoken  of  in  Isaiah,  "  Wick- 
edness hurneth  as  the  fire ;  it  shall  devour  the  briers  and 
thorns,  and  shall  kindle  in  the  thickets  of  the  forest,  and 
they  shall  mount  up  like  the  lifting  up  of  smoke :  the  peo- 
ple shall  be  as  the  fuel  of  the  fire :  no  man  shall  spare  his 
brother,"  Isa.  ix.  18,  19.  The  perverse  state  of  the  Church 
from  a  principle  of  self-love,  in  conjunction  with  the  inor- 
dinate love  of  the  world,  is  here  described  by  fire  kindling 
and  devouring,  and  by  the  lifting  up  of  smoke.  In  the 
same  sense  it  is  said,  "Upon  the  wicked  shall  Jehovah  rain 
snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and  an  horrible  tempest,"  Ps. 
xi.  6;  meaning,  not  that  such  literal  judgments  shall  be 
inflicted  by  the  Lord,  but  that  the  wicked,  by  their  own 
evils  of  life,  will  bring  upon  themselves  the  spiritual  calami- 
ties signified  by  snares,  fire,  brimstone,  etc.  The  fire  of  hell 
is  no  other  than  infernal  love,  with  all  the  odious  passions, 
lusts,  and  concupiscences  which  agitate  and  torment  the 
minds  of  those  who  become  their  willing  subjects.  It  is  in 
reference  to  such  turbulent  and  disorderly  states,  accom- 
panied by  the  punishments  to  which  they  lead,  and  not  to 
any  natural  or  elementary  fire,  that  the  prophet  asks, 
"  Who  among  us  shall  dwell  with  the  devouring  fire  f  who 
amongst  us  shall  dwell  with  everlasting  burnings  f  Isa. 
xxxiii.  14. 

From  all  these  considerations  it  may  now  plainly  appear 
that  wherever  mention  is  made  in  the  Word  of  the  day  of 
Jehovah  burning  as  an  oven,  or  in  the  Epistles  of  the  heavens 
being  dissolved  by  fire,  and  of  the  earth  and  the  works  that 
are  therein  being  burnt  up  and  consumed,  we  are  uniformly 
to  understand  that  it  is  the  end  or  destruction  of  the  Church 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  105 


which  is  thus  described,  the  internals  of  which,  or  the  hea- 
vens, are  consumed  by  various  lusts  and  concupiscences,  and 
the  externals,  or  the  earth,  by  the  same  lusts  breaking  forth 
into  outward  act,  and  producing  manifest  evils  of  life ;  in 
consequence  of  which  it  becomes  necessary  that  new  hea- 
vens and  a  new  earth  should  be  formed ;  in  other  words, 
that  a  new  Church  should  be  raised  up  by  the  Lord,  which 
should  both  internally  acknowledge  and  worship  him,  and 
externally  live  in  conformity  to  his  divine  laws.  By  the 
elements,  again,  melting  with  fervent  heat,  we  are  to  under- 
stand not  the  dissolution  of  the  first  principles  of  nature, 
which  give  consistency  and  stability  to  the  works  of  out- 
ward creation,  but  the  destruction  and  extinction  of  the 
first  elements  or  constituent  principles  of  the  Church, 
which  are  love  to  the  Lord,  and  love  to  our  neighbor, 
together  with  the  great  truths  of  the  Holy  Word,  on  which 
they  are  founded,  and  without  which  neither  the  angelic 
heavens  above,  nor  the  Church  on  earth  below,  can  for  a 
moment  exist. 

XXIX. — The  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord  not  in 
Person,  but  in  Spirit. 

Mr.  Pike's  next  objection,  refers  to  the  second  coming  of 
the  Lord,  which  is  said  to  be  "  denied  by  Swedenborg," 
though  he  is  avowedly  the  first  to  proclaim,  that  it  has 
already  taken  place,  according  to  the  true  and  only  sense 
in  which  that  great  event  can  be  scripturally  and  rationally 
understood.  The  question  is,  Whether  the  second  coming 
of  the  Lord  was  to  be  ^?^  person,  like  his  fii-st  appearance, 
or  in  spirit,  that  is,  in  the  Divine  truth  of  his  Holy  Word, 
which  is  one  with  himself?  Mr.  Pike,  with  the  late  Dr. 
Priestly,  and  other  literal  interpreters  of  Scriptures,  holds 
the  former  opinion,  while  the  more  enlightened  and  judicious 
Swedenborg  maintains  the  latter. 


106 


A  VINDICATION  OP  THE 


Among  the  passages  urged  in  favor  of  a  personal  coming 
are  the  following:  "The  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father,  with  his  angels ;  and  then  he  shall  re- 
ward every  man  according  to  his  works,"  Matt.  xvi.  27. 
"The  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the 
holy  angels  with  him ;  and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all 
nations,"  Matt.  xxv.  31,  32.  "This  same  Jesus,  who  is 
taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come,  in  like  man- 
ner as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven,"  Acts  i.  11.  "  The 
Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with 
the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God," 
1  Thess.  iv.  16.  From  these  and  similar  passages  it  is  in- 
ferred, that  the  Lord  will  appear  personally  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven  in  great  pomp  and  splendor,  to  judge  the  assem- 
bled race  of  mankind  at  his  bar,  with  all  the  formalities 
attendant  upon  human  courts  of  justice;  and  that  the 
whole  earth  and  ocean  shall  at  the  same  time  be  summoned 
to  yield  up  the  bodies  which  they  contain,  in  order  that 
they,  together  with  the  souls  of  their  former  tenants,  may 
be  adjudged  either  to  eternal  life  or  eternal  death.  But  as 
these  vague  and  incoherent  notions  have  been  already  suf- 
ficiently exposed  in  the  preceding  remarks  on  the  resurrec- 
tion and  last  judgment,  nothing  more  shall  be  said  on  that 
subject  on  the  present  occasion.  Let  the  following  more 
rational  views  of  the  Lord's  second  advent  engage  the  at- 
tention of  the  reader. 

The  doctrine  of  the  New  Church,  deduced  from  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  and  so  intelligibly  laid  down  in  the 
writings  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  concerning  the  second 
coming  of  the  Lord,  is  this,  That,  according  to  the  laws  of 
divine  order,  the  Lord  cannot  come  in  person  into  the  ma- 
terial world,  because  since  his  ascension  into  heaven  he  is 
in  his  Glorified  Humanity  ;  and  in  this  Humanity,  although 
it  is  omnipresent,  he  cannot  be  seen  by  any  man,  unless  his 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


107 


spiritual  ej'es  be  first  opened,  as  was  the  case  with  all  who 
saw  him  after  his  resurrection ;  for  as  a  material  eye  can 
see  nothing  but  matter,  so  the  Lord's  glorified  body  being 
divinely  substantial,  and  not  material,  can  only  be  seen  by 
a  spiritual  eye.  Hence,  when  the  Lord  manifested  himself 
to  his  disciples  after  his  resurrection,  it  is  written,  that 
"  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  him ;  and  he  van- 
ished out  of  their  sight,"  Luke  xxiv.  3L  So  when  the 
women  went  to  the  sepulchre  on  the  morning  of  the  resur- 
rection, they  saw  angels  sitting  there,  whom  yet  it  was  im- 
possible to  see  with  the  eyes  of  their  natural  bodies,  but 
only  with  the  eyes  of  their  spirits.  The  case  was  similar 
with  Elisha's  young  man,  who  as  soon  as  his  spiritual  eyes 
were  opened,  and  not  before,  saw  a  great  variety  of  objects 
in  the  spiritual  world,  viz.,  "  horses  and  chariots  of  fire 
round  about  Elisha,"  2  Kings  vi.  17.  From  these  con- 
siderations then  it  is  plain,  that  a  material  eye  cannot  see 
spiritual  objects,  still  less  a  divine  object,  such  as  the  glori- 
fied body  of  the  Lord.  But  although  the  Lord  cannot, 
consistently  with  divine  order,  come  personally  into  the 
world,  as  he  did  at  the  period  of  his  first  advent  (being 
then  in  an  infirm  body  of  material  flesh  and  blood,  whereas 
now  his  body  is  altogether  divine),  yet  he  can  make  his  ap- 
pearance in  his  Word,  which  being  the  divine  truth  pro- 
ceeding from  himself,  is  in  this  respect  the  same  as  himself. 
We  therefore  read,  "  in  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and 
the  Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  the  Word,"  John  i.  1. 

Much  stress,  however,  appears  to  be  laid  on  that  passage 
in  the  Acts,  above  quoted,  where  the  angel  says,  "  This  same 
Jesus,  who  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come, 
in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven:"  and  it 
is  concluded,  that,  as  his  ascent  was  personal  and  visible, 
his  return  will  be  the  same,  personal  and  visible  also. 
In  answer  to  this,  let  it  be  observed,  and  particularly 


108 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


attended  to,  that  the  whole  passage,  from  whicli  the  objec- 
tion is  drawn,  is  the  record  of  a  transaction  that  occurred, 
not  in  the  natural,  hut  in  the  spiritual  world :  for,  as  has  been 
already  proved,  the  Lord  never  was,  nor  could  be,  seen 
after  his  resurrection,  by  the  material  eyes  of  any  man. 
He  was  then  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  spiritual  world ;  con- 
sequently his  personal  ascent  must  have  been  from  thence 
into  heaven,  and  not  from  the  material  world,  which  he  had 
left  forty  days  before,  viz.,  at  the  time  of  his  resurrection. 
Besides,  there  are  clouds  in  the  spiritual  world,  equally  as 
•well  as  in  the  natural  world ;  and  the  clouds  of  the  former 
are  more  properly  called  the  clouds  of  heaven,  than  the 
latter,  which  in  fact  are  nothing  but  the  clouds  of  the  earth. 
It  is  evident,  thei-efore,  that  what  the  angels  said  of  Jesus 
returning  from  heaven  in  like  manner  as  he  went  up  into 
heaven,  ought  to  be  understood  as  alluding  to  his  appear- 
ance in  the  spiritual  ivorld,  at  the  time  of  his  second  com- 
ing, and  not  to  any  personal  appearance  in  the  natural  world. 
To  men  on  earth,  who  are  enlightened  so  as  to  discern  the 
spiritual  sense  of  the  Scriptures,  the  Lord  appears  as  divine 
truth :  but  to  those  inhabitants  of  the  spiritual  world,  who 
in  heart  acknowledge  him  as  the  only  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  he  not  only  manifests  himself  in  the  character  of 
divine  truth,  but  also  occasionally  presents  himself  in  per- 
son, descending  in  the  same  glorious  manner,  as  the  men 
of  Galilee  saw  him  ascend.  And  thus  the  event,  which  the 
angels  foretold,  hath  actually  taken  place. 

That  the  above  passage  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  can- 
not with  propriety  be  understood  in  any  other  sense,  than 
that  already  explained,  may  further  appear  from  this  con- 
sideration, that  the  Lord's  ascension  was  visible  only  to  his 
followers,  whose  eyes  were  opened,  and  not  to  the  Jews  at 
large.  Now  if  he  is  to  come  again  in  like  manner,  as  is  ex- 
pressly declared,  it  follows,  that  his  second  advent  will  be 


WRITINGS  OF  KMANUKL  SWEDENBORG. 


109 


witnessed  and  acknowledged,  not  by  the  bulk  of  mankind, 
but  (as  before,  so  now  again)  by  his  followers  only,  whose 
spiritual  eyes  or  understandings  are  opened  to  discern  him  in 
his  Word.  And  all  such,  in  consequence  of  clearly  com- 
prehending the  meaning  of  John,  when  he  says,  that  God 
was  the  Word,  will  see  that  the  Lord's  advent  in  his  Word, 
consisting  of  a  revelation  of  its  internal  contents,  is  neither 
a  mere  figure  nor  an  emblem,  as  some  may  call  it,  but  a 
divine  reality. 

XXX. — The  Lord's  Second  Coming  effected  through 
THE  Instrumentality  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg. 

"  But,"  says  Mr.  Pike,  "  follow  Swedenborg  one  step 
further,  and  you  come  to  the  highest  pitch  of  his  impiety." 
And  wherein  consists  the  impiety  here  spoken  of?  Why, 
according  to  the  accuser's  own  statement,  in  Swedenborg's 
assertion,  that  "  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord  is  in  order 
to  separate  the  evil  from  the  good,  that  they  may  be  saved 
who  have  believed  and  who  do  believe  on  him,  and  that  of 
them  may  be  formed  a  new  angelic  heaven,  and  a  new 
Church  on  the  earth ;  that  without  this  coming  no  flesh  can 
be  saved  ;  that  it  is  effected  by  a  man,  before  whom  he  hath 
manifested  himself  in  person,  and  whom  he  hath  filled  with 
his  spirit  to  teach  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  by  the 
Word  for  him  ;  and  that  this  man  is  no  other  than  Eman- 
uel Swedenborg  himself."  Now  can  any  person  seriously 
believe,  that  it  is  impious  to  assert,  that  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  is  for  the  purpose  of  saving  such  as  believe  in  him, 
and  of  forming  a  new  Church  both  in  the  spiritual  and  in 
the  natural  world,  when  it  is  so  plainly  declared  in  the  Sa- 
cred Scriptures,  that  he  comes  not  to  destroy,  but  to  build 
up;  not  to  condemn,  but  to  save?  Or  is  it  any  proof  of 
wickedness  to  say,  that  the  Lord  is  about  to  form  a  new 
heaven  and  a  new  Church,  when  it  is  expressly  announced 

10 


110 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


by  John  in  the  Revelation,  that  he  saw  "  a  new  heaven  and 
a  new  earth,  and  the  holy  city.  New  Jerusalem,  coming 
down  from  God  out  of  heaven  ?"  Yet  this  is  a  part  of  the 
charge,  which  Mr.  Pike  has  unwittingly  brought  against 
one  of  the  best  and  most  pious  of  men. 

The  chief  ground  of  complaint,  however,  appears  to  be 
the  solemn  declaration  of  Swedenborg  that  the  Lord  mani- 
fested himself  to  him  in  person,  and  commissioned  him  to 
teach  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  by  the  Word  from 
him ;  and  further,  that  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word 
being  laid  open,  and  the  divine  presence  therein  being  thus 
made  known  to  the  world,  through  the  instrumentality  of 
a  chosen  servant,  constitute  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord. 
This  Mr.  Pike  considers  to  be  the  height  of  arrogance,  pre- 
sumption, and  impiety ;  being,  in  his  opinion,  tantamount 
to  Swedenborg  setting  himself  up  as  the  subject  of  prophecy, 
in  the  place  of  the  Lord  himself,  just  as  if  an  humble 
acknowledgment  that  he  was  only  a  servant,  or  instrument 
in  the  Lord's  hands,  was  equivalent  to  his  laying  claim  to 
the  honor  due  unto  his  Divine  Master!  Such  perversity 
of  judgment  would  equally  condemn  prophets  and  apostles 
for  acting  and  speaking  in  the  name  of  their  God,  though 
at  the  same  time  they  declared  they  were  merely  instruments 
and  ministers  appointed  to  perform  the  divine  will. 

Without  further  noticing  in  what  manner  Mr.  Pike  in- 
dulges himself  on  the  subject,  our  time  may  be  more  use- 
fully occupied  in  pointing  out  to  the  candid  reader  the  true 
ground  and  reason  why  so  great  an  event  as  the  second 
coming  of  the  Lord  should  necessarily  require  to  be  effected 
through  the  instrumentality  of  a  man.  It  has  been  already 
proved  that  the  Lord  cannot,  without  a  manifest  breach  of 
divine  order,  make  his  appearance  in  the  world  in  the  way 
and  manner  expected  by  Mr.  Pike  and  many  others ;  but 
that  he  is  to  come  in  spirit,  not  in  person ;  that  the  clouds 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  Ill 

in  which  he  will  appear  are  the  literal  sense  of  his  "Word ; 
and  that  the  2)ower  and  glory  by  which  he  will  be  accom- 
panied belong  to  its  internal  or  sjjiritual  sense.  This  being 
the  case,  he  must  of  necessity  commission  some  man,  placed 
for  the  purpose  under  a  high  degree  of  illumination,  to  open 
or  explain  his  AVord,  to  teach  the  genuine  doctrines  of 
divine  revelation  from  him,  and  thus  to  present  the  Lord 
in  spirit  and  in  truth  before  the  eyes  of  all  who  are  dis- 
posed to  receive  and  acknowledge  him.  There  appears  no 
other  possible  mode  whereby  divine  truth  can  be  published 
and  propagated  in  the  world  than  through  the  agency  or 
instrumentality  of  man  ;  and  therefore  in  all  ages  since  the 
first  going  forth  of  the  Word,  even  unto  the  present  day, 
instruments  have  been  employed  by  the  Lord  to  make 
known  his  will,  and  human  means  have  been  made  subser- 
vient to  divine  ends.  Thus  we  read,  that  \dien  Jehovah 
gave  the  law  upon  mount  Sinai,  he  commissioned  Moses, 
his  servant,  to  stand  between  him  and  the  people,  Deut. 
v.  5 ;  and  though  he  was  himself  present  in  the  midst  of 
the  fire  and  smoke  that  overhung  the  mountain,  yet  was  he 
not  seen  by  them  in  person,  neither  was  his  voice  heard, 
John  V.  37.  Equally  present  was  he  afterward  with  the 
same  people,  in  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  in  the  tabernacle, 
and  in  the  temple ;  yet  all  his  commands,  his  promises,  and 
his  blessings,  were  conveyed  to  them  through  the  medium 
of  priests,  judges,  kings,  and  prophets.  For  "surely  the 
Lord  Jehovah  will  do  nothing,  but  he  revealeth  his  secret 
unto  his  servants  the  prophets,"  Amos  iii.  7.  Why  then 
should  it  become  matter  of  astonishment,  or  be  regarded  as 
an  incredible  thing  that  the  Lord  should,  at  the  period  of 
his  second  coming  in  the  power  and  glory  of  his  Word, 
make  choice  of  a  servant  in  every  way  qualified  to  perform 
the  duties  of  the  office  to  which  he  has  been  appointed,  and 
thus  to  prepare  his  way  among  Christians,  as  John  the  Bap- 


112 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


tist  did  in  ancient  times  among  the  Jews?  He  formerly 
chose  for  prophets  and  apostles  characters,  who,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  world,  would  have  been  rejected  as  altogether 
unfit  for  their  several  employments.  Yet  the  success  which 
followed  and  crowned  their  labors  have,  in  the  eyes  of  all 
good  men,  completely  justified  the  divine  wisdom  in  bring- 
ing, out  of  so  much  evil  as  then  existed,  all  possible  good  by 
the  best  possible  means.  And  why  may  not  equal,  nay 
superior  advantages  and  blessings  be  now  hoped  for,  seeing 
that  the  same  all-wise  and  merciful  Lord  has  again  conde- 
scended to  visit,  instruct,  and  comfort  his  people ;  and  has 
provided  such  a  messenger,  or  instrument,  for  opening  his 
Word,  and  spreading  his  truth  through  all  nations,  as  pro- 
bably was  never  before  excelled  for  genuine  piety,  universal 
learning,  and  all  the  graces  becoming  the  character  of  an 
enlightened,  upright,  and  sincere  Christian  ? 

Indeed  everything  around  us  proclaims  aloud  that  we  are 
entering  upon  a  new  era.  By  the  extraordinary  occurrences 
that  mark  the  times  in  Avhich  we  live ;  by  the  general  expec- 
tation (similar  to  that  which  prevailed  at  the  time  of  our 
Lord's  first  or  personal  advent  in  the  flesh)  of  some  great 
event  now  about  to  take  place ;  by  the  numerous  institu- 
tions for  extending  knowledge ;  and  especially  by  that 
splendid  moral  phenomenon,  the  association  of  men  of 
every  name,  rank,  and  character,  for  the  purpose  of  intro- 
ducing the  Sacred  Scriptui-es  among  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  not  to  mention  other  undoubted  and  infallible  signs 
from  heaven,  we  are  distinctly  instructed  that  now  is  the 
period  of  the  Lord's  second  advent  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
with  power  and  great  glory  (i.  e.,  in  both  the  literal  and 
spiritual  senses  of  his  Holy  Word)  ;  that  now  the  holy  city. 
New  Jerusalem,  is  descending  from  on  high,  and  that  hence- 
forth there  shall  be  in  the  Church  only  "  one  Jehovah,  and 
his  name  one,"  Zech.  xiv.  9 ;  since  "  the  kingdoms  of  this 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  113 

world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his 
Christ,  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever,"  Apoc.  xi.  15. 

XXXI. — SWEDENBORG  FALSELY  CHARGED  WITH  BEING 

AN  Encourager  op  Vice,  etc. 

We  come  now  to  objections  of  another  description,  such 
as  no  man  of  sound  judgment,  capable  of  distinguishing 
between  virtue  and  vice,  and  the  different  degrees  of  each, 
would  ever  think  of  bringing  forward  against  a  character 
so  truly  pious  and  devout  as  that  of  Swedenborg.  Mr. 
Pike,  charges  that  author  with  giving  countenance  to  forni- 
cation, concubinage,  and  adultery,  merely  because  he  dis- 
criminates between  their  relative  degrees  of  evil,  and  shows 
that  one  kind  of  vice  is  less  grievous  and  destructive  of 
happiness  than  another.  This,  after  all  that  Mr.  Pike  has 
said  on  the  subject,  and  after  all  his  partial-  and  unfair 
quotations  from  the  treatise  on  Conjugial  Love,  is  precisely 
the  state  of  the  question  ;  on  which  a  few  observations 
have  already  been  oflered  in  a  former  part  of  this  Vindica- 
tion, but  which  now  demands  a  more  particular  con- 
sideration. 

Swedenborg  lays  it  down  as  the  very  first  principle 
of  his  work,  that  love  truly  conjugial,  or  the  chaste  love 
subsisting  between  one  husband  and  one  wife,  originates 
in  the  marriage  or  conjunction  of  good  and  truth  ;  that  it 
corresponds  with  the  marriage  of  the  Lord  and  his  Church ; 
that  it  is  therefore  celestial,  spiritual,  holy,  pure,  and  clean, 
in  a  pre-eminent  degree ;  that  it  is  the  foundation  of  every 
species  of  heavenly  love  and  affection,  with  all  their  in- 
numerable felicities ;  but  that  it  is  imparted  to  no  others 
than  those  who  approach  the  Lord,  and  live  according  to 
his  divine  precepts  ;  consequently  tliat  every  deviation  from 
true  conjugial  love  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  departure  from 
the  most  perfect  state  of  Christian  life,  either  into  evil  of  a 

10* 


114 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


relatively  venial  character,  such  as  the  apostle  John  calls 
"a  sill  not  unto  death"  or  into  evil  of  a  more  gross  and 
destructive  nature,  such  as  the  same  apostle  emphatically 
pronounces  to  be  "a  sin  unto  death"  1  John  v.  16,  17. 
But  as  it  is  not  to  be  expected,  that  all  men  should  arrive 
at  the  high  state  of  purity  above  spoken  of,  and  it  would 
be  the  height  of  cruelty  and  injustice  to  condemn  with 
an  indiscriminate  judgment  those,  who,  by  reason  of  the 
frailties  of  their  nature,  either  cannot  or  do  not  come  uj)  to 
the  standard  here  pointed  out,  the  author  proceeds  to  show 
in  what  cases  the  conjugial  principle  may  yet  be  preserved 
to  a  certain  degree.  This  leads  him  to  consider  the  nature 
of  permission,  and  how  far  the  divine  mercy  tolerates  some 
evils,  with  a  view  to  prevent  others  of  greater  enormity, 
according  to  these  words  of  our  Lord,  addressed  to  the 
Jews,  "Moses,  because  of  the  hardness  of  your  hearts, 
suffered  you  to  put  away  your  wives ;  but  from  the  begin- 
ning it  was  not  so,"  Matt.  xix.  8 :  from  which  it  appears, 
that  by  reason  of  the  adulterous  propensity  of  the  Jews,  or 
the  hardness  of  their  hearts,  a  law  accommodated  to  their 
state  of  evil  was  permitted,  in  the  place  of  one  more  pure 
and  perfect,  which  doubtless  they  would  have  profaned. 
It  is  therefore  to  be  well  observed,  that  Emanuel  Sweden- 
borg  no  where  recommends  or  approves  either  of  fornication, 
or  of  concubinage,  still  less  of  adultery  in  any  of  its  forms 
or  degrees ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  most  strenuously  advo- 
cates the  chastity,  purity,  and  sanctity  of  the  marriage 
state. 

Mr.  Pike  has  introduced  into  his  pamphlet  a  variety  of 
quotations  from  Swedenborg's  work  on  Conjugial  Love, 
which,  taken  in  their  proper  connection,  are  highly  just 
and  important,  and  merit  the  approbation  of  every  intel- 
ligent reader;  yet  when  given  in  detached  portions,  and 
especially  when  mutilated,  may  in  some  cases  seem  to 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  115 

countenance  a  laxity  of  morals,  which  the  author  never  in- 
tended. By  such  a  proceeding  even  the  Sacred  Scriptures 
themselves  may  be  made  to  speak  any  language,  however 
profane  or  indelicate,  and  to  give  forth  any  doctrine,  how- 
ever opposed  to  the  truth  of  their  divine  spirit.  But  as  no 
pious  or  enlightened  man  would  consent  to  take  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Holy  Word  from  an  Atheist  or  a  Deist,  so  it  is 
presumed,  that  no  person  of  a  liberal  and  candid  turn  of 
mind,  desirous  of  receiving  information  concerning  the 
principles  and  doctrines  of  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  will 
acquiesce  in  the  mere  assertions  and  misrepresentations  of 
an  avowed  enemy ;  but  will  rather  be  disposed  to  read  for 
himself  the  works  of  that  celebrated  author,  especially  his 
work  on  Conjugial  Love,  and  to  form  his  own  unbiased 
judgment  on  its  most  interesting  contents.  In  the  mean 
time  the  few  following  extracts  therefrom  are  submitted  to 
the  attention  of  the  reader,  as  undeniable  evidence  of  the 
nature,  spirit,  and  tendency  of  that  extraordinary  and 
most  admirable  production. 

"Love,  considered  in  itself,  is  nothing  else  but  a  desire 
and  consequent  tendency  to  conjunction ;  and  conjugial 
love  to  conjunction  into  one ;  for  the  male  and  female  were 
so  created,  that  from  two  they  may  become  one  man,  or 
one  flesh ;  and  when  they  become  one,  they  are  then,  taken 
together,  man  in  his  fullness.  But  without  such  conjunc- 
tion they  are  two,  and  each  is  as  a  divided  or  half-man. 
Now  whereas  the  above  conjunctive  principle  lies  inmostly 
concealed  in  all  and  singular  the  parts  of  the  male,  and  in 
all  and  singular  the  parts  of  the  female,  and  the  same  is 
true  of  the  faculty  and  desire  to  be  conjoined  together  into 
one,  it  follows,  that  the  mutual  and  reciprocal  love  of  the 
sex  remaineth  with  men  after  death."    Conj.  Love,  37. 

"As  few  know  the  distinction  between  the  love  of  the 
sex  and  conjugial  love,  it  may  be  expedient  briefly  to  point 


116 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


out  this  distinction.  The  love  of  the  sex  is  a  love  directed 
to  several,  and  contracted  with  several  of  the  sex ;  whereas 
conjugial  love  is  only  directed  to  one,  and  contracted  with 
one  of  the  sex.  Moreover,  love  directed  to  several  and 
contracted  with  several  is  a  natural  love,  for  it  is  common 
to  man  with  beasts  and  birds,  which  are  natural ;  whereas 
conjugial  love  is  a  spiritual  love,  and  peculiar  and  proper 
to  men,  because  men  were  created,  and  are  therefore  born 
to  become  spiritual :  wherefore  so  far  as  man  becomes 
spiritual,  so  far  he  puts  off  the  love  of  the  sex,  and  puts 
on  conjugial  love."    Conj.  Love,  48. 

"But  no  others  come  into  this  love,  and  can  be  in  it,  ex- 
cept such  as  come  to  the  Lord,  and  love  the  truths  of  the 
Church,  and  practise  its  goods.  The  reason  of  this  is,  be- 
cause monogamical  marriages,  which  are  of  one  husband 
with  one  wife,  correspond  to  the  marriage  of  the  Lord  and 
the  Church,  and  because  such  marriages  originate  in  the 
marriage  of  good  and  truth.  Hence  it  follows,  that  con- 
jugial love  with  man  is  according  to  the  state  of  the 
Church  with  him."    Conj.  Love,  70. 

"Conjugial  love  is  according  to  the  state  of  the  Church, 
because  it  is  according  to  the  state  of  wisdom  with  man,  as 
a  principle  of  life.  It  may  be  asked.  What  is  wisdom  as  a 
principle  of  life  ?  In  a  summary  view,  it  is  to  shun  evils, 
because  they  are  hurtful  to  the  soul,  and  hurtful  to  the 
public  weal,  and  hurtful  to  the  body.  This  is  the  wisdom 
to  which  conjugial  love  binds  itself:  for  it  binds  itself 
tliereto  by  shunning  the  evil  of  adultery  as  the  pest  of  the 
soul,  of  the  public  weal,  and  of  the  body :  and  whereas 
this  wisdom  originates  in  spiritual  things  appertaining  to 
the  Church,  it  follows,  that  conjugial  love  is  according  to 
the  state  of  the  Church,  because  it  is  according  to  the  state 
of  wisdom  with  man."     Conj.  Love,  130. 

"The  Christian   conjugial   principle  alone   is  chaste. 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  8WEDENBORG.  117 


Christians,  in  case  they  many  more  wives  than  one,  com- 
mit not  only  natural,  but  also  spiritual  adultery."  Conj. 
Love,  142. 

"The  chastity  of  marriage  exists  by  a  total  abdication 
of  whoredoms  from  a  principle  of  religion."  Conj.  Love, 
147. 

"Chastity  cannot  be  predicated  of  those,  who  abstain 
from  adulteries  only  for  various  external  reasons.  Many 
believe,  that  the  mere  abstaining  from  adulteries  in  the 
body  is  chastity,  when  yet  this  is  not  chastity,  unless  at  the 
same  time  there  be  an  abstaining  in  spirit.  The  spirit  of 
man,  by  which  is  here  meant  his  mind  as  to  affections  and 
thoughts,  constitutes  the  chaste  and  unchaste;  for  hence 
the  chaste  or  unchaste  hath  place  in  the  body,  the  body 
being  in  all  cases  such  as  the  mind  or  spirit  is.  Hence  it 
follows,  that  they  who  abstain  from  adulteries  in  the  body, 
and  not  by  influence  from  the  spirit,  are  not  chaste; 
neither  are  they  chaste,  who  abstain  from  them  in  spirit  as 
influenced  from  the  body.  There  are  many  assignable 
causes,  which  make  man  desist  from  adulteries  in  body, 
and  also  in  spirit  as  influenced  from  the  body;  but  still,  he 
who  doth  not  desist  from  them  in  body  as  influenced  from 
the  spirit,  is  unchaste ;  for  the  Lord  saith,  '  tliat  whosoever 
looketh  on  a  woina7i  to  lust  after  her,  hath  committed  adultery 
with  her  already  in  his  heart,'  Matt.  v.  28.  It  is  impossible 
to  reckon  up  all  the  causes  of  abstinence  from  adulteries 
in  the  body  only ;  for  they  are  various  according  to  states 
of  marriage,  and  also  according  to  states  of  the  body ;  for 
there  are  some  persons,  who  abstain  from  them  out  of  fear 
of  the  civil  law  and  its  penalties  ;  some  out  of  fear  of  the 
loss  of  reputation,  and  thereby  of  honor ;  some  out  of  fear 
of  diseases,  which  may  be  thereby  contracted ;  some  out  of 
fear  of  domestic  quarrels  on  the  part  of  the  wife,  whereby 
the  quiet  of  their  lives  may  be  disturbed ;  some  out  of  fear 


118 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


of  revenge  on  the  part  of  tbe  husband  or  relations ;  some 
out  of  fear  of  chastisement  from  the  servants  of  the  family ; 
some  also  abstain  from  motives  of  poverty,  or  of  avarice, 
or  of  imbecility  arising  either  from  disease,  or  from  abuse, 
or  from  age,  or  from  impotence.  Of  these  there  are  some 
also,  who,  because  they  cannot  or  dare  not  commit  adultery 
in  the  body,  on  this  account  commit  adulteries  in  the 
spirit ;  and  thus  they  speak  morally  against  adulteries,  and 
in  favor  of  marriages.  But  such  persons,  unless  in  spirit 
they  call  adulteries  accursed,  and  this  from  a  religious 
principle  in  the  spirit,  are  still  adulterers ;  for  although 
they  do  not  commit  them  in  body,  yet  in  spirit  they  do 
commit  them :  wherefore  after  death,  when  they  become 
spirits,  they  speak  openly  in  favor  of  them.  Fi-om  these 
considerations  it  is  manifest,  that  even  a  wicked  person 
may  shun  adulteries  as  hurtful,  but  that  none  except  a 
Christian  can  shun  them  as  sins."    Conj.  Love,  153. 

"  A  state  of  marriage  is  to  be  preferred  to  a  state  of 
celibacy :  the  reason  of  which  is,  because  it  is  a  state  or- 
dained from  creation  ;  because  it  originates  in  the  marriage 
of  good  and  truth ;  because  its  correspondence  is  with  the 
Lord  and  the  Church  ;  because  the  Church  and  conjugial  love 
are  constant  companions ;  because  its  use  is  more  excellent 
than  the  uses  of  all  things  of  creation,  for  thence  according 
to  order  is  derived  the  propagation  of  the  human  race,  and 
also  of  the  angelic  heaven,  this  latter  being  formed  from 
the  human  race.  Add  to  these  considerations,  that  mar- 
riage is  the  fullness  of  man,  for  by  it  man  becomes  a  full 
man.  All  these  things  are  wanting  in  celibacy."  Conj. 
Love,  156. 

"The  delights  of  conjugial  love  ascend  to  the  highest 
heaven,  and  join  themselves  in  the  way  thither  and  there 
with  the  delights  of  all  heavenly  loves,  and  thereby  enter 
into  their  happiness,  which  endures  for  ever :  the  reason  is, 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  119 


because  the  delights  of  that  love  are  also  the  delights  of 
wisdom.  But  the  pleasures  of  scortatory  love  descend  even 
to  the  lowest  hell,  and  join  themselves  in  the  way  thither 
and  there  with  the  pleasures  of  all  infernal  loves,  and  there- 
by enter  into  their  unhappiness,  which  consists  in  the 
wretchedness  of  all  heart-delights :  the  reason  is,  because 
the  pleasures  of  that  love  are  also  the  pleasures  of  insanity." 
Conj.  Love,  294. 

"Scortatory  love  is  opposite  to  conjugial  love,  as  hell  is 
opposite  to  heaven."  Conj.  Love,  429. 

"  That  the  lust  of  fornication  is  not  the  lust  of  adultery, 
every  one  sees  clearly  from  common  perception.  AVhat 
law  and  what  judge  imputes  a  like  criminality  to  the 
fornicator  as  to  the  adulterer  ?  The  reason  why  this  is  seen 
from  common  perception  is,  because  fornication  is  not  op- 
posite to  conjugial  love,  as  adultery  is.  In  fornication  con- 
jugial love  may  lie  stored  up  within,  as  what  is  spiritual 
may  lie  stored  up  in  what  is  natural :  but  the  libidinous  and 
obscene  love  of  adultery  is  opposite  to  conjugial  love,  and 
destructive  thereof."  Conj.  Love,  449. 

"  There  are  two  kinds  of  concubinage,  which  differ  ex- 
ceedingly from  each  other,  the  one  conjointly  with  a  wife, 
and  the  other  apart  from  a  wife.  The  former  is  illicit  to 
Christians,  and  detestable:  the  latter,  when  engaged  in 
from  causes  legitimate,  just,  and  truly  conscientious,  is  not 
so."  Conj.  Love,  463,  464,  467. 

Among  the  legitimate  causes  for  separation  Swedeuborg 
ranks  vitiated  states  of  the  body ;  but  by  these  he  does  not 
mean  "accidental  diseases,  which  befall  one  or  other  conju- 
gial partner  within  the  time  of  their  marriage,  and  pass 
away,  but  inherited  diseases,  which  do  not  pass  away."  Conj. 
Love,  252. 

"  There  are  four  degrees  of  adulteries,  which  from  the 
nature  of  circumstances  and  contingencies,  are  to  be  reputed 


120 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


milder  or  more  grievous.  A  man,  from  rational  conviction, 
according  to  circumstances  and  contingencies,  may  ab- 
solve a  person,  whom  a  judge,  whilst  he  sits  in  judgment, 
cannot  absolve  from  the  law  ;  and  also  a  judge  may  absolve 
a  person,  who  after  death  is  condemned.  The  reason  is, 
because  a  judge  gives  sentence  according  to  actions  done : 
whereas  after  death  every  one  is  judged  according  to  the 
intentions  of  the  will  and  thence  of  the  understanding, 
and  according  to  the  confirmations  of  the  understanding, 
and  thence  of  the  will.  These  intentions  and  confirmations 
a  judge  doth  not  see:  nevertheless  each  judgment  is  just, 
one  for  the  sake  of  the  good  of  civil  society,  the  other  for 
the  sake  of  the  good  of  heavenly  society."  Conj.  Love,  485. 

"  Various  circumstances  exist  in  the  world,  which  miti- 
gate and  excuse  crimes,  also  which  aggravate  and  charge 
them  upon  the  perpetrator :  nevertheless  imputations  after 
death  take  place,  not  according  to  circumstances  which  are 
external  of  the  deed,  but  according  to  internal  circum- 
stances of  the  mind :  and  these  are  viewed  according  to  the 
state  of  the  Church  with  every  one ;  as  for  example,  a  man, 
who  hath  no  fear  of  God,  nor  love  for  his  neighbor,  and 
consequently  no  reverence  for  any  sanctity  of  the  Church, 
after  death  becomes  guilty  of  all  crimes  which  he  did  in  the 
body,  nor  is  remembrance  had  of  his  good  actions,  inas- 
much as  his  heart,  from  whence  as  from  a  fountain  those 
things  flowed,  was  averse  from  heaven,  and  turned  to  hell. 
In  order  that  this  may  be  understood,  I  will  relate  an  arca- 
num :  Heaven  is  distinguished  into  innumerable  societies, 
in  like  manner  hell  from  an  opposite  principle ;  and  the 
mind  of  every  man,  according  to  his  will  and  consequent 
understanding,  actually  dwells  in  one  society,  and  intends 
and  thinks  in  like  manner  with  those  who  compose  the 
society.  If  the  mind  be  in  any  society  of  heaven,  it  then 
intends  and  thinks  in  like  manner  with  those  who  compose 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBOEG.  121 

that  society ;  if  it  be  in  any  society  of  hell,  it  intends  and 
thinks  in  like  manner  with  those  who  are  in  the  same  so- 
ciety ;  but  so  long  as  man  lives  in  the  world,  so  long  he 
migrates  from  one  society  to  another,  according  to  the 
changes  of  the  affections  of  his  will  and  of  the  consequent 
thoughts  of  his  mind ;  but  after  death  his  peregrinations 
are  collected,  and  from  the  collection  thereof  into  one  a 
place  is  allotted  him,  in  hell  if  he  be  in  evil,  in  heaven  if 
he  be  good.  Now  whereas  all  in  hell  are  influenced  by  a 
will  of  evil,  all  are  viewed  there  from  that  will ;  and 
whereas  all  in  heaven  are  influenced  by  a  will  of  good,  all 
are  viewed  there  from  that  will :  wherefore  imputations 
after  death  have  place  according  to  the  quality  of  every 
one's  will  and  understanding.  The  case  is  similar  with 
scortations,  whether  they  be  fornications,  or  pellicacies,  or 
concubinages,  or  adulteries,  inasmuch  as  those  things  are 
imputed  to  every  one,  not  according  to  the  deeds  them- 
selves, but  according  to  the  state  of  the  mind  in  the  deeds ; 
for  deeds  follow  the  body  into  the  tomb,  whereas  the  mind 
rises  again."    Conj.  Love,  530. 

From  these  extracts  the  reader  has  now  an  opportunity 
of  judging  how  far  Mr.  Pike  is  justifiable  in  his  endeavors 
to  vilify  the  character  of  Swedenborg,  by  representing  him 
as  an  encourager  of  vice. 

XXXII. — Female  Prostitution. 

Mr.  Pike  further  observes  that  "  on  Swedenborg's  princi- 
ples it  is  not  unlawful,  but  allowable,  for  one  sex  to  indulge 
in  fornication,  and  consequently  it  must  be  as  allowable  for 
the  other  sex  to  live  in  prostitution."  We  have  already 
seen  that  the  crime  of  fornication  is  considered  by  Sweden- 
borg as  an  evil,  but  not  of  so  atrocious  a  nature  as  adultery; 
and  therefore  that  it  is  permitted,  not  in  the  way  of  appro- 
bation, as  Mr.  Pike  insinuates,  but  with  a  view  to  prevent 
11 


122 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


a  greater  evil.  The  same  rule  is  equally  applicable  to  both 
sexes,  and  there  is  no  more  reason  or  justice  in  the  conclu- 
sion that  a  life  of  whoredom  is  lawful  for  females,  than  that 
a  life  of  fornication  is  lawful  for  males.  The  drift  of  Mr. 
Pike's  reasoning  appears  to  be  simply  this :  If  a  man  be 
permitted  to  indulge  in  fornication,  then  a  woman  must  also 
be  permitted  to  prostitute  herself ;  since  the  former  permis- 
sion cannot  exist  without  the  latter.  Admitting  this  to  be 
true,  what  then?  does  it  follow  that  the  permission  in  either 
case  amounts  to  approbation  f  Until  this  can  be  proved, 
the  argument  carries  with  it  no  more  weight  than  a  feather. 
Evils  of  much  greater  magnitude  than  such  as  relate  to 
individuals  are  tolerated  in  states  which  comprise  many 
individuals,  but  in  all  these  cases  the  laws  and  customs 
adopted  have  for  their  end  the  suppression  of  more  griev- 
ous offences  against  the  welfare  and  peace  of  society.  In- 
formers, spies,  and  thief-takers,  are  characters  of  no  good 
name  in  any  country,  yet  they  are  permitted  and  employed 
with  the  view  of  preventing  and  curing  the  greatest  disor- 
ders in  a  community.  A  standing  army,  also,  consisting 
of  men  hired  to  fight  and  destroy  their  fellow-men,  or  by 
their  martial  attitude  to  deter  an  enemy  from  landing  on 
our  shores,  may  be  regarded  as  an  evil,  but  surely  not  so 
great  an  evil  as  actual  war  itself,  or  the  devastation  of  a 
country  by  a  barbarous  enemy ;  and  altliough  the  one  may 
seem  to  imply  the  other,  still  the  danger  to  be  apprehended 
from  the  greater  evil,  in  the  eyes  of  all  reasonable  men, 
will  ever  justify  the  permission  of  the  less. 

So  with  respect  to  the  inordinate  love  of  the  sex,  which 
in  some  men  and  under  certain  circumstances  cannot  be 
altogether  checked  without  producing  the  most  deplorable 
calamities  both  to  the  individuals  concerned,  and  to  society 
at  large,  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  tolerate,  under  pro- 
per regulations,  public  stews,  or  houses  of  ill-fame  in  many 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  123 


populous  cities  of  Europe,  as  in  London,  Amsterdam,  Paris, 
Vienna,  Venice,  Naples,  Rome,  etc.,  etc. ;  and  this  tolera- 
tion or  permission  has  been  sanctioned  by  kings,  magis- 
trates, judges,  and  other  authorities  of  the  several  states, 
as  well  as  by  the  people  at  large,  purely  for  the  sake  of 
preventing  greater  and  more  destructive  disorders.  In 
every  point  of  view,  therefore,  which  can  be  taken  of  the 
subject,  we  are  authorized  to  conclude  that  fornication  on 
the  part  of  the  male,  and  prostitution  on  the  part  of  the 
female,  though  acknowledged  to  be  evils  in  themselves,  are 
in  the  present  state  of  society  Avisely  permitted,  not  as  mat- 
ter of  favor  or  choice,  but  of  necessity,  to  prevent  as  much 
as  possible  adulteries  of  every  kind,  violations  of  the  chaste, 
and  seductions  of  the  innocent,  besides  other  nameless 
abominations. 

XXXIII. — Indelicacies  of  Language  and  Idea. 

Again,  Mr.  Pike  not  only  charges  the  author  with  hav- 
ing "delighted  in  letting  his  thoughts  dwell  on  impure 
scenes,  and  in  meditating  frequently  on  different  lusts  ;"  but 
in  his  extreme  modesty  affects  so  nice  a  sense  of  delicacy 
as  to  be  incapable  of  transcribing  the  exact  words  used  by 
Swedenborg  in  his  enumeration  of  the  conscientious  and 
legitimate  causes  of  separation  from  the  bed,  though  not 
from  the  house ;  thus  leading  his  readers  to  suppose  that 
the  language  of  Swedenborg  is  gross  and  forbidding  to  the 
last  degree,  when  yet  of  all  the  writers  who  ever  treated  of 
such  subjects,  he  is  confessedly  the  most  chaste,  the  most 
delicate,  and  the  most  correct,  not  only  in  his  ideas,  but 
also  in  his  expressions.  On  the  first  part  of  the  charge, 
that  he  suffered  his  thoughts  to  dwell  on  impure  scenes,  and 
meditated  on  different  lusts,  it  may  be  asked,  How  was  it 
possible  for  him,  or  any  other  author,  to  write  with  perspi- 
cuity and  effect  on  love  truly  conjugial,  and  on  the  blessed- 


124 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


ness  attending  it,  without  contrasting  them  with  those  lusts 
and  impure  pleasures  which  are  in  direct  opposition  to 
them  ?  Or  how  could  he,  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  and 
precision,  point  out  the  various  genera,  species,  and  shades 
of  vice,  without  previously  meditating  on  the  subject?  A 
charge  so  trifling,  childish,  and  contemptible,  was  surely 
never  before  brought  against  any  author.  To  Avhat  lengths 
will  not  prejudice  and  envy  carry  a  man !  Had  Sweden- 
borg  written  without  thought,  without  meditation,  and  with- 
out discrimination,  as  some  are  suspected  to  have  done  in 
their  recent  attacks  on  him,  the  charge  might  have  been 
entertained,  and  suffered  to  have  its  full  weight ;  but  when 
it  is  made  matter  of  distinct  accusation  against  him,  that 
he  had  studied  his  subject,  that  he  had  meditated,  and  re- 
fiected  upon  it  in  all  its  varieties  and  bearings,  what  shall 
we  say  of  the  man  who  hesitates  not  to  expose  himself  to  just 
censure,  provided  he  can  but  for  a  moment  injure  the  repu- 
tation of  the  pious  and  enlightened  Swedenborg?  Let  him 
follow  the  example  which  he  affects  to  despise,  and  in  future, 
when  he  takes  up  his  pen,  let  him  think  before  he  writes. 

With  regard  to  those  alleged  indelicacies  of  expression 
in  Swedenborg 's  work  on  Conjugial  Love,  particularly  in 
notes  471  and  473,  which  Mr.  Pike  says  modesty  will  not 
permit  him  to  repeat,  and  instead  of  which  he  gives  the 

mere  dash  of  his  pen  ,  as  the  most  effectual  way  of 

convincing  the  reader  of  the  justice  of  his  charge ;  the  pas- 
sages referred  to  have  been  closely  examined,  and  so  far 
from  there  being  a  single  expression  in  them  offensive  to  a 
chaste  ear,  the  language  is  in  every  respect  decorous,  and 
becoming  the  subject,  as  well  as  the  character  of  the  writer. 
Who  would  imagine  that  the  words  objected  to  by  Mr. 
Pike,  as  too  indelicate  for  his  tongue  to  pronounce,  or  his 
hand  to  transcribe,  are  no  other  than  prolification,  or  actual 
love,  and  conjugial  debt  f — terms  by  which  the  author  has  so 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  125 


well  expressed  his  meaning,  as  the  apostle  Paul  before  him 
has  done  by  the  phrase  due  benevolence,  1  Cor.  vii.  3.  Yet 
this  is  the  grievance  complained  of,  this  the  gross  language 
which  I\Ir.  Pike's  refined  sense  of  decency  would  not  suffer 
to  appear  in  his  page !  His  extreme  delicacy  calls  to  mind 
what  Moses  said  in  ancient  times,  on  another  occasion, 
"  The  man  that  is  tender  among  you,  and  vei-y  delicate,  his 
eye  shall  be  evil  toward  his  brother,  and  toward  the  wife 
of  his  bosom,  and  toward  the  remnant  of  his  children," 
Deut.  xxviii.  54.  Who  ever  conducted  himself  more  deli- 
cately than  Agag  the  Amalekite?  Yet  with  all  his  affecta- 
tion of  nice  and  delicate  feelings,  "  Samuel  hewed  him  in 
2jieees  before  Jehovah,"  1  Sam.  xv.  32,  33. 

It  is  a  just  observation  of  the  apostle,  that  "to  the  pure 
all  things  are  pure;  but  unto  them  that  are  defiled,  and 
unbelieving,  is  nothing  pure,"  Titus  i.  15.  To  persons  of 
the  latter  description  even  the  Sacred  Scriptures  themselves, 
in  various  places,  must  appear  deserving  of  censure :  and 
indeed  it  is  well  known,  that  on  this  very  account  Deists 
and  others  have  not  scrupled  to  reprobate  them  as  un- 
worthy of  being  dictated  by  a  holy  and  wise  God.  Mr. 
Pike  probably,  as  a  minister  of  religion,  will  not  venture 
openly  to  denounce  the  Levitical  law,  though  written  in 
terms  much  plainer  than  any  used  by  Swedenborg.  But 
by  what  rule  of  judgment,  it  may  be  asked,  will  he  sjmre 
or  perhaps  justify  the  one,  while  he  condemns,  without  a 
moment's  reflection,  the  similarly  chaste  and  select  lan- 
guage of  the  other  ? 

[Editor's  note. — We  cannot  refrain  from  inserting  here  a  passnge 
singularly  appropriate,  from  this  same  section,  44  C.  L.,  characterized 
by  Pike  as  loo  obscene  to  quote  from,  but  which  on  careful  reading  we 
find  to  be  written  throughout  in  the  most  pure  and  decorous  language. 
Of  course  between  sucli  conflicting  judgments  the  reader  will  desire 
to  judge  for  himself,  and  in  recommending  him  to  read  for  himself  this 
11  * 


126 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


and  all  the  other  passages  thus  referred  to  by  Pike,  we  are  sure  that 
he  will  be  struck  by  the  singularly  chaste  and  well-chosen  terms  in 
which  our  author  treats  of  his  subject.  We  read  that  on  hearing 
certain  novitiates  complain  that  a  chaste  love  of  the  sex  would  be  no 
love  at  all,  "  The  angelic  spirits  indignantly  replied.  You  are  alto- 
gether ignorant  what  a  chaste  love  of  the  sex  is ;  because  as  yet  you  are 
not  yet  chaste.  This  love  is  the  very  essential  delight  of  the  mind, 
and  thence  of  the  heart ;  and  not  at  the  same  time  of  the  flesh  be- 
neath the  heart.  Angelic  chastity,  which  is  common  to  each  sex, 
prevents  the  passage  of  that  love  beyond  the  enclosure  of  the  heart. 
Love  truly  conjugial  is  chaste,  and  has  nothing  in  common  with  un- 
chaste love,  being  confined  to  one  of  that  sex  and  separate  from  all 
others ;  for  it  is  a  love  of  the  spirit  and  thence  of  the  body,  and  not  a 
love  of  the  body  and  thence  of  the  spirit ;  that  is,  it  is  not  a  (bodily) 
love  infesting  the  spirit."    C.  L.  44.] 

XXXIV. — To  THE  Puke  all  Things  are  Pure. 

It  is  well  knovrn,  that  the  Lord  is  called  the  Word ; 
that  when  he  came  into  the  world  for  the  redemption  of 
mankind,  the  Word  was  then  made  flesh,  John  i.  14 ;  and 
that  after  he  had  departed  out  of  the  world,  he  was  seen 
by  John  as  a  Divine  Man,  being  still  called  The  Word  of 
God,  Apoc.  i.  13  to  18 ;  chap.  xix.  11  to  16.  Now  if  the 
Lord  be  indeed  the  Word,  and  if  the  Word  also  be  flesh, 
that  is,  Man,  then  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  every 
part  of  the  human  frame  should  be  distinctly  noted  in  the 
Word,  in  order  to  teach  us,  that  divine  truth  in  its  several 
gradations  from  inmost  principles  to  ultimate  effects,  is 
adapted  not  only  to  the  faculties  and  energies  of  the  mind, 
but  also  to  the  powers  and  organs  of  the  body,  so  as  to 
form  the  whole  man  into  an  image  and  likeness  of  his  God. 
For  as  the  Lord  himself,  by  fulfilling  the  Word  in  his  own 
person,  made  his  Humanity  the  tabernacle,  temple,  and 
habitation  of  the  pure  Divinity,  insomuch  that  every  por- 
tion of  his  body,  even  to  the  very  sensual  and  corporeal 
principles,  was  at  length  completely  identified  with  the 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEXBORG.  127 


divine  nature ;  so  his  exaiujile  is  held  out  to  his  followers 
as  the  rule,  whereby  they  ought  to  govern  the  internal 
affections  and  thoughts  of  their  spirit,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  external  actions  of  their  body.  With  this  view, 
and  to  show,  that,  when  man  is  in  a  state  of  heavenly 
order,  every  organ  of  his  fi-ame  may  become  instrumental 
in  promoting  some  specific  good  or  use  in  the  Lord's  king- 
dom, with  which  there  is  a  correspondence  in  all  his 
members  ;  and  on  the  contrary  to  point  out,  when  he  is  in 
a  state  of  disorder,  the  precise  nature  of  the  evil  by  which 
he  opposes  the  divine  will,  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  Church,  sometimes  as  a  male,  and  at  other  times 
as  a  female,  make  repeated  and  distinct  mention  of  the 
head,  the  face,  the  eyes,  the  ears,  the  cheeks,  the  mouth, 
the  lips,  the  tongue,  the  teeth,  the  neck,  the  throat,  the 
breast,  the  back,  the  side,  the  ribs,  the  arms,  the  hands,  the 
fingers,  the  heart,  the  reins,  the  inward  parts,  the  belly,  the 
loins,  the  womb,  the  thighs,  the  knees,  the  legs,  the  ankles, 
the  feet,  the  heel,  the  sole,  the  toes,  the  flesh,  the  blood,  the 
skin,  the  bones,  the  sinews,  the  hair,  the  nails,  the  dress, 
etc.,  etc.,  with  many  of  the  functions  and  actions  peculiar 
to  the  several  parts  of  the  body  here  enumerated.  To  cite 
all  the  passages,  where  these  and  other  expressions  of  the 
kind  are  to  be  found,  would  be  an  endless  task :  suffice  it 
to  say,  they  are  interspersed  throughout  the  Sacred  Pages ; 
and  it  cannot  be  doubted,  that  they  have  a  place  therein  in 
consequence  of  the  relation  which  they  bear,  either  in  a 
good  or  in  an  opposite  sense,  to  the  Church,  to  heaven,  and 
even  to  the  Lord  himself,  who  is  present  with  all  the  full- 
ness of  his  Divinity  in  every  point  and  tittle  of  his  Word. 

It  may  be  further  observed,  that  the  Word,  while  it 
embraces  every  possible  state  of  good  and  truth,  to  which 
the  human  race  can  be  elevated,  treats  also  of  every  possi- 
ble degree  of  evil  and  folly,  to  which  it  can  be  debased : 


128 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


and  as  it  is  the  desire  and  purpose  of  the  Lord  to  deliver 
man  from  the  evils  and  corruptions  of  his  nature,  this 
desire  and  purpose  accompany  every  expression  in  his 
Word,  and  render  that  chaste  and  pure,  which  might 
otherwise  appear  to  be  of  a  contrary  description.  "The 
words  of  the  Lord  are  pure  words;  as  silver  purified  in  a 
furnace  of  earth,  purified  seven  times,"  Ps.  xii.  6.  "Thy 
word  is  very  pure,"  Ps.  cxix.  140.  "  Every  word  of  God  is 
pure,"  Prov.  xxx.  5.  So  with  respect  to  human  produc- 
tions; the  modesty  or  immodesty  of  words  (if  free  from 
gross  vulgarisms)  depends  entirely  on  the  state  of  the 
writer's  mind,  and  the  end  or  motive  by  which  he  is  influ- 
enced. If,  for  example,  in  treating  of  marriage,  or  of  the 
intercourse  between  the  sexes,  a  spiritual  or  chaste  motive 
predominate,  and  keep  in  check  those  carnal,  libidinous 
ideas,  which  are  apt  to  be  engendered  in  the  natural  mind, 
when  separated  from  the  spiritual,  the  writing  or  conversa- 
tion in  such  case  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  injurious  to  the 
most  delicate  feeling  of  chastity,  because,  the  intention 
being  to  convey  useful  instruction,  the  language  is  qualified 
by  the  motive,  and  the  ruling  idea  gives  no  provocation  to 
lasciviousness.  Hence  medical  men,  by  the  nature  of  their 
profession,  are  frequently  under  the  necessity  of  conversing 
on  subjects  of  the  greatest  delicacy,  yet  without  merit- 
ing the  imputation  of  indecorum.  Want  of  chastity,  or 
immodesty  in  language,  on  the  other  hand,  consists  in  the 
disclosure  of  impure  motives,  and  in  suffering  sensual  ideas 
either  to  gain  the  ascendancy  over  those  which  are  of  a 
higher  order,  or  to  extinguish  them  altogether.  In  this 
latter  case  no  modest  female  can  for  a  moment  listen  to  the 
conversation,  or  suffer  her  attention  to  be  arrested  by  a 
subject  so  repugnant  to  her  feelings.  On  the  whole,  it  may 
therefore  be  justly  concluded,  that  neither  chastity  nor  un- 
chastity  depends  upon  the  mere  external  expression,  but  on 


WRITIXGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEKBOEG.  129 

the  internal  state  of  affection  and  thouglit,  which  give  it 
birth ;  and  again,  that  the  same  expressions  may  be  inno- 
cent and  chaste  in  the  mouth  and  ears  of  one  person,  while 
they  are  of  an  opposite  character  in  those  of  another,  since, 
according  to  the  authority  before  quoted,  "to  the  pure  all 
things  are  pure,  and  to  the  defiled  all  things  are  unclean." 

XXXV. — The  Divine  Providence  exemplified  in 
THE  Permission  of  Mahometanism. 

It  is  next  charged  against  Swedenborg,  that  he  represents 
Mahometanism  as  a  divine  religion,  because  he  says,  that 
both  in  its  rise  and  progress  it  was  under  the  guidance  of 
the  divine  providence  of  the  Lord,  being  calculated  to  ex- 
tirpate the  gross  idolatries  of  the  Eastern  nations,  and  to 
give  them  some  knowledge  concerning  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures of  both  Testaments,  and  his  birth  in  the  world  as  the 
Son  of  God.  The  warmth,  with  which  Mr.  Pike  agitates 
this  question,  and  which  seems  to  clothe  him  with  all  the 
enthusiasm  and  fury  of  Peter  the  Hermit,  the  instigator  of 
the  holy  wars  against  the  poor  Turks,  leads  one  to  suspect, 
that,  were  he  able,  he  would  gladly  excite  a  war  of  exter- 
mination against  the  Swedenborgians. 

He  gives  indeed  a  short  extract  from  Swedenborg's  ac- 
count of  Mahometanism  ;  but,  as  he  omits  the  able  reason- 
ing of  that  author  on  the  effects  produced  by  it  among  many 
of  the  Eastern  nations,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  the  reader, 
who  depends  on  such  scanty  information,  to  see  the  subject  in 
its  true  light.  To  remedy  this  defect,  it  is  therefore  thought 
of  importance  to  transcribe  the  whole  passage,  from  which 
Mr  Pike  has  drawn  his  partial  and  unjustifiable  remarks. 
It  is  to  be  found  in  the  work,  entitled  True  Christian  Re- 
ligion, and  is  as  follows  : 

"That  the  Mahometan  religion  is  received  more  gen- 
erally throughout  the  world  than  the  Christian  religion, 


130 


A  VINDICATION  OP  THE 


may  be  matter  of  stumbling  and  offence  to  those,  who  busy 
their  thoughts  about  the  divine  providence,  and  at  the 
same  time  believe  that  none  can  be  saved  except  such  as 
are  born  Christians  :  whereas  this  is  no  matter  of  offence  to 
those,  who  believe  that  all  things  are  under  the  regulation 
of  divine  providence ;  for  they  trace  the  footsteps  of  that 
providence  on  this  occasion,  and  likewise  discover  the  wis- 
dom and  goodness  thereof  in  this  circumstance,  that  the 
Mahometan  religion  acknowledgeth  the  Lord  to  be  the 
greatest  and  wisest  of  prophets,  and  also  to  be  the  Son  of 
God.  But  whereas  they  have  made  the  Alcoran  alone  the 
rule  and  standard  of  their  religion,  and  consequently  think 
much  about  Mahomet  who  wrote  it,  and  pay  him  a  kind  of 
worship,  therefore  they  think  little  about  our  Lord.  In 
order  to  show  more  plainly  and  fully  that  the  Mahometan 
religion,  both  in  its  rise  and  progress,  was  under  the  gui- 
dance of  the  divine  providence  of  the  Lord,  I  shall  enter 
into  a  more  particular  consideration  of  the  subject,  advert- 
ing first  to  the  origin  of  idolatries.  Before  the  rise  of  Ma- 
hometanism,  idolatrous  worship  was  spread  through  most 
countries  of  the  terraqueous  globe ;  the  ground  and  reason 
whereof  was,  because  the  churches  extant  before  the  Lord's 
coming  were  all  representative  churches ;  such  also  was  the 
Israelitish  Church ;  wherein  the  tabernacle,  the  garments 
of  Aaron,  the  sacrifices,  all  things  belonging  to  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem,  and  even  their  statutes,  were  representative. 
Amongst  the  ancients  also  the  science  of  correspondences, 
which  is  likewise  the  science  of  representatives,  was  ac- 
counted the  chief  of  sciences,  and  was  particularly  culti- 
vated by  the  Egyptians,  being  the  true  ground  and  rise  of 
their  hieroglyphics.  By  virtue  of  this  science  they  knew 
what  was  signified  by  animals  and  plants  of  every  kind,  and 
what  likewise  by  mountains,  hills,  rivers,  and  fountains ; 
what  also  by  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  staxs.    By  the 


WRITIXGS  OF  EMAXUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


131 


same  science  they  attaiued  bei^ides  to  the  kuowledge  of 
spiritual  things,  inasmuch  as  the  things  represented,  being 
such  as  have  relation  to  spiritual  wisdom  amongst  the  an- 
gels in  heaven,  were  the  originals  of  the  things  representa- 
tive. Now  whereas  their  worship  was  representative,  con- 
sisting of  mere  correspondences,  therefore  they  performed 
it  on  mountains  and  hills,  and  likewise  in  groves  and  gar- 
dens ;  and  for  this  reason  they  consecrated  fountains,  and 
made  graven  images  of  horses,  oxen,  calves,  lambs,  nay 
even  of  birds,  fishes,  and  serpents,  and  placed  them  near 
their  temples,  and  at  the  entrance  into  their  temples,  and 
also  in  their  houses,  in  exact  order  according  to  the  spiritual 
things  of  the  Church  with  which  they  corresponded,  or  which 
they  represented,  and  thereby  signified.  In  process  of  time, 
when  the  science  of  correspondences  was  obliterated,  pos- 
terity began  to  worship  those  graven  images  as  if  possessed 
of  some  essential  holiness  iu  themselves,  not  aware  that 
their  forefathers  saw  nothing  holy  in  them,  but  regarded 
them  only  as  representative  of  holy  things  according  to 
correspondences.  Hence  originated  all  the  idolatries,  which 
have  prevailed  throughout  so  many  kingdoms  of  the  earth. 
In  order  to  extirpate  these  idolatries,  it  was  brought  to  pass 
of  the  divine  providence  of  the  Lord,  that  a  new  religion, 
accommodated  to  the  genius  and  temper  of  the  Eastern 
nations,  should  be  taught  and  propagated,  which  religion 
should  have  some  respect  to  both  the  Old  and  the  Kew 
Testaments,  and  which  would  teach,  that  the  Lord  came 
into  the  world,  and  that  he  was  the  greatest  and  wisest  of 
all  prophets,  and  the  Son  of  God.  This  was  effected  by 
Mahomet,  from  whom  that  religion  took  its  name.  Hence 
it  appears,  that  this  religion  owes  its  rise  to  the  divine  provi- 
dence of  the  Lord,  and  was  accommodated,  as  was  said,  to 
the  genius  and  temper  of  the  Eastern  nations,  with  a  view 
to  destroy  the  idolatries  that  so  generally  prevailed,  and 


132 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


communicate  to  its  votaries  some  knowledge  concerning  the 
Lord,  before  they  came  after  death  into  the  spiritual  world. 
This  religion  would  not  have  been  received  by  so  many 
kingdoms,  and  consequently  would  have  had  no  power  to 
extirpate  idolatries  therein,  unless  it  had  been  made  suitable 
to  the  ideas  of  the  people,  particularly  unless  it  had  allowed 
of  polygamy,  because  the  Eastern  nations,  without  such 
allowance,  would  have  burned  with  adulterous  lust  more 
than  the  Europeans,  and  by  the  indulgence  of  that  lust 
■would  have  destroyed  themselves  eternally."  Tr.  Chr.  Bel., 
833. 

XXXVI. — Xhe  Difference  between  mere  Sensual 
Gratifications,  and  the  pure  Joys  of  Heaven. 

Connected  with  this  subject  is  another  charge,  equally 
destitute  of  foundation,  which  Mr.  Pike  brings  against 
Swedenborg,  and  his  description  of  the  joys  of  heaven.  He 
represents  him,  as  saying  with  Mahomet,  that  the  delights 
and  pleasures  of  the  heavenly  life  consist  in  the  gratifica- 
tion of  the  outward  senses,  in  reposing  on  silken  couches 
interwoven  with  gold,  in  eating  of  the  fruits  of  an  external 
paradise,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  beautiful  damsels,  whose 
bewitching  eyes  are  calculated  to  captivate  the  beholder, 
and  to  lull  him  into  their  embraces  by  all  the  blandish- 
ments of  sensual  love.  But  he  forgets,  or  perhaps  never 
gave  himself  the  trouble  to  examine,  the  wide  distinction, 
which  Swedenborg  has  everywhere  insisted  upon,  between 
the  external  enjoyments  proceeding  from  a  pure  and  chaste 
state  of  the  spirit,  and  those  which  originate  in  the  bodily 
senses.  The  pleasures  of  heaven,  according  to  Swedenborg, 
are  both  internal  and  external,  the  latter  depending  alto- 
gether upon  the  former :  whereas  with  the  Arabian  prophet 
all  the  delights  of  life  are  to  be  found  in  the  external  sepa- 


WRITIXGS  OF  EMAXUEI^  SWEDEXBORG.  133 


rate  from  the  internal,  in  the  mere  acts  of  eating  and 
drinking,  in  gazing  with  the  eye  on  the  glittering  scenes  of 
paradise,  in  listening  with  the  ear  to  the  ravishing  sounds 
of  music,  and  in  the  indulgence  of  every  gross,  sensual, 
and  carnal  appetite.  The  true  nature  of  the  joys  of  heaven 
is  amply  described  by  Swedenborg  in  his  treatise  on  Heaven 
and  Hell,  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  made,  to 
show  Islv  Pike  has  done  him  great  injustice  in  assimilating 
his  account  of  future  happiness  to  that  given  by  the  im- 
pure and  voluptuous  Mahomet. 

"  Heaven  is  so  constituted  as  to  abound  with  pleasures, 
insomuch  that,  considered  in  itself,  it  is  an  aggregate  of 
beatitudes  and  delights ;  and  that  because  divine  good,  pro- 
ceeding from  the  divine  love  of  the  Lord,  constitutes  heaven 
both  in  general  and  in  particular,  in  every  one  there." 
H.  &  H,  397. 

"  The  delights  of  heaven  are  unutterable,  and  they  are 
also  innumerable :  but  innumerable  as  they  are,  no  man, 
that  is  absorbed  in  carnal  and  sensual  gratifications,  can 
have  the  least  notion  of  any  one  of  them,  and  that  because 
his  interiors  are  turned  backward  from  heaven  to  the  world, 
and  consequently,  being  immersed  in  the  love  of  self  and 
of  the  world,  he  is  incapable  of  taking  delight  in  any  thing 
but  in  honors,  riches,  and  the  pleasures  of  the  bodily  senses, 
which  yet  so  far  extinguish  and  suffocate  all  the  interior 
delights  of  heaven,  as  to  render  their  reality  incredible." 
H.  &  H,  398. 

"  Something  of  an  estimate  may  be  made  of  the  superla- 
tive felicity  of  heaven  from  this  single  consideration,  that 
it  is  the  delight  of  all  who  are  there  to  communicate  their 
joys  and  beatitudes  to  one  another ;  and  as  all  of  them  are 
like-minded  in  this  matter,  it  is  evident  how  immense  the 
delight  of  heaven  must  be,  since  there  is  a  mutual  commu- 
nication between  one  and  all,  resulting  from  the  twofold 

12 


134 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


love  that  prevails  there,  viz.,  love  to  the  Lord,  and  love 
toward  their  neighbor."    H.  &  H.,  399. 

"  All  the  delights  of  heaven  are  connected  with  and  in- 
separable from  uses,  these  being  the  good  fruits  of  love  and 
charity  in  the  angels ;  and  according  to  the  quality  of  the 
uses,  and  their  alacrity  to  perform  them,  is  the  degree  of 
their  joy."    H.  &  H.,  402. 

"  Certain  spirits,  from  a  notion  they  had  entertained  in 
this  world,  fancied  that  the  happiness  of  heaven  consisted 
in  a  life  of  ease  and  indolence,  and  being  served  in  all 
things  by  others.  But  it  was  told  them,  that  no  society 
could  subsist  happily  in  such  a  state,  and  that  where  all 
were  to  be  served,  there  could  not  be  any  to  serve :  more- 
over, that  a  life  of  idleness  would  render  them  stupid  and 
good  for  nothing ;  that  action  was  essential  to  felicity,  and 
rest  only  the  means  of  fitting  them  the  better  for  it.  They 
were  likewise  given  to  understand,  that  the  life  of  angels 
principally  consisted  in  doing  offices  of  love  and  use,  and  that 
it  was  their  highest  delight  to  be  so  employed  :  and  then,  to 
make  them  ashamed  of  so  absurd  a  notion,  as  that  of  happi- 
ness in  heaven  consisting  in  everlasting  indolence,  there  was 
given  them  a  perception  of  such  a  state,  by  which  it  ap- 
peared to  them  most  irksome  and  melancholy,  and  such  as 
would  not  only  be  destructive  of  every  joy,  but  in  a  little 
time  be  attended  with  disgust  and  loathing."    H.  &  H.,  403. 

"  Some  spirits,  who  thought  themselves  wiser  than  their 
fellows,  had  conceived  an  opinion  in  this  world,  that  hea- 
venly joy  consisted  altogether  in  praising  and  worshiping 
God,  and  that  this  constituted  active  life.  But  it  was  told 
them  this  was  not  the  case,  and  that  God  needed  not  their 
praises  and  worship,  but  willed  rather  that  they  should  be 
employed  in  performing  offices  of  use  and  love  to  one 
another.  This,  however,  they  considered  more  as  a  task  of 
servitude  than  true  happiness,  although  the  angels  assured 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  135 

them,  that  it  was  a  most  free  and  delightful  employment, 
as  proceeding  from  the  most  affectionate  good-will,  and 
executed  with  unspeakable  pleasure."    H.  &  H.,  404, 

"  All  who  are  in  heaven,  continue  in  their  progress  to- 
ward the  flower  and  perfection  of  life ;  and  the  more  thou- 
sands of  years  they  pass,  the  more  delightfully  and  happily 
thoy  advance  in  an  eternal  progression,  according  to  their 
proficiency  in  love,  charity  and  faith.  There  such  of  the 
female  sex  as  had  departed  this  life  broken  with  the  in- 
firmities of  old  age,  but  had  lived  in  faith  to  the  Lord,  in 
charity  toward  their  neighbor,  and  in  all  the  duties  of  con- 
jugial  aflfection,  after  a  succession  of  ages  appear  as  ad- 
vancing toward  perfection  in  the  bloom  of  youthful  beauty 
surpassing  description ;  whilst  goodness  and  charity  add 
graces  to  their  persons,  and  express  themselves  in  every 
feature  of  their  faces,  insomuch  that  they  may  be  considered 
as  very  forms  of  charity.  In  a  word,  to  grow  old  in  heaven 
is  to  grow  in  youth  and  beauty,  as  is  the  case  with  all  those 
who  have  here  lived  in  love  to  the  Lord,  and  in  charity  to- 
ward their  neighbor.  Such  forms  are  all  the  angels,  though 
with  unspeakable  distinction  and  variety."  H.  &  H.,  414. 

XXXVIL— Purgatory. 

Mr.  Pike  charges  Swedenborg  with  maintaining  the  doc- 
trine of  purgatory  in  common  with  the  Roman  Catholics, 
and  denies  that  the  Scriptures  make  mention  of  any  inter- 
mediate state  or  place  between  heaven  and  hell.  "  Nothing 
can  be  much  more  calculated  to  encourage  mankind  to  per- 
severe in  their  iniquities  than  a  belief  that  if  they  should 
not  be  prepared  for  heaven  at  death  they  may  have  their 
sins  forgiven,  and  their  souls  prepared  for  hajipiness,  in  the 
other  world.  Yet  such  is  the  doctrine  of  purgatory  among 
the  Papists,  and  such,  under  the  name  of  vastation,  is  that 
of  Swedenborg."    IJe  also  asserts  that ."  the  Word  of  God 


136 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


gives  not  the  slightest  intimation  of  a  middle  state,"  or 
world  of  spirits,  but  only  of  "  heaven  as  the  abode  of  those 
who  die  in  the  Lord,  and  hell  as  the  abode  of  those 
who  die  in  sin."  That  he  has  dealt  unjustly  with  Sweden- 
borg  in  representing  his  doctrine  of  vastation  as  similar  to 
that  of  the  Popish  purgatory,  and  that  he  has  also  over- 
looked those  numerous  parts  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  which 
treat  of  an  intermediate  state  between  heaven  and  hell,  will 
now  be  made  to  appear  by  the  most  direct  testimonies. 

After  speaking  of  the  gross  abuses  which  are  practised 
by  the  Romish  clergy  in  reference  to  dispensations,  indul- 
gences, and  promises  of  heavenly  happiness  to  those  who 
enrich  monasteries  and  increase  their  treasures,  Swedenborg 
proceeds  to  observe  as  follows :  "  In  particular  they  are 
watchful  to  impose  upon  the  rich  when  they  are  sick,  and 
also  on  such  occasions  infuse  terror  in  regard  to  hell,  and 
so  extort  money  from  them,  promising  sacrifices  of  the  mass 
for  their  souls  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  legacies,  and  by 
this  means  successive  exemption  from  the  place  of  torment, 
which  they  call  Purgatory,  and  thus  admission  into  heaven. 
As  to  what  relates  to  purgatory,  I  can  aver  that  it  is  a  Baby- 
lonian fiction  invented  for  the  sake  of  gain,  and  that  no  such 
place  does  or  can  exist.  Every  man  after  death  comes  first 
into  the  world  of  spirits,  which  is  in  the  middle  between 
heaven  and  hell,  and  is  there  prepared  either  for  heaven  or 
for  hell,  every  one  according  to  the  life  he  had  led  in  the 
world;  and  in  that  world  no  one  is  tormented,  but  the 
wicked  then  first  come  into  torment  when  after  prepara- 
tion they  go  to  hell.  There  are  in  that  world  innumerable 
societies,  and  in  them  enjoyments  similar  to  those  upon 
earth,  by  reason  that  the  spirits  therein  are  connected  with 
men  upon  earth,  who  are  likewise  in  the  middle  between 
heaven  and  hell.  The  externals  of  such  spirits  are  suc- 
cessively put  oflT,  and  so  their  internals  are  disclosed  and 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG. 


137 


unfolded,  and  this  till  such  time  as  the  ruling  love,  which 
being  the  life's  love  in  the  inmost,  and  governs  the  exter- 
nals, discovers  itself;  and  this  being  discovered,  it  appears 
what  is  the  quality  of  the  man,  and  according  to  the  qual- 
ity of  his  ruling  love  he  is  sent  from  the  world  of  spirits  to 
his  own  place,  if  he  be  good  to  his  place  in  heaven,  and  if 
bad  to  his  place  in  hell.  That  this  is  the  case  it  hath  been 
given  me  to  know  of  a  certainty,  because  it  hath  been 
granted  me  by  the  Lord  to  be  with  those  who  "are  in  that 
world,  and  to  see  everything  and  so  to  relate  this  from 
actual  experience,  and  this  now  for  the  space  of  twenty 
years.  AVherefore  I  can  aver  that  purgatory  is  a  fiction, 
which  may  be  called  a  diabolical  one,  because  it  was  in- 
vented for  the  sake  of  lucre,  and  for  the  sake  of  exercising 
power  over  the  souls,  even  of  the  deceased,  after  death." 
Aj)oc.  Rev.,  784. 

XXXVIII. — Vastation  in  the  Other  Life. 

The  author  having  thus  so  expressly  disclaimed  and 
denounced  the  doctrine  of  a  Popish  j)urgatory,  as  a  wicked 
invention  of  the  priests  to  establish  a  kind  of  dominion  not 
only  over  the  property,  but  even  over  the  souls  of  their 
misguided  and  infatuated  adherents,  it  is  but  justice  to 
allow  him  to  give  his  own  account  of  what  he  calls  Vasta- 
tion,  which  is  the  defecation  or  purification  of  the  good  and 
pious  from  the  many  errors  and  infirmities  incident  to  their 
condition  in  this  life,  in  order  that  they  may  be  more  fully 
prepared  to  enter  into  consociation  with  angels,  and  thus 
into  the  perfect  enjoyment  of  heavenly  happiness : 

"  There  are  many  persons,  who,  during  their  abode  in  the 
'world,  through  simplicity  and  ignorance,  have  imbibed 
falses  as  to  faith,  and  have  formed  a  certain  species  of  con- 
science according  to  the  principles  of  their  faith,  and  have 
not,  like  others,  lived  in  hatreds,  revenges,  and  adulteries ; 
12  * 


138 


A  VINDICATION  OP  THE 


these  in  another  life,  so  long  as  they  are  principled  in  what 
is  false,  cannot  be  introduced  into  the  heavenly  societies,  lest 
they  should  defile  them ;  and  therefore  they  are  kept  for  a 
certain  time  in  the  lower  earth,  in  order  that  they  may  put 
off  the  principles  of  the  false.  The  times  of  their  continu- 
ance there  are  longer  or  shorter  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  false,  and  the  life  contracted  thereby,  and  according  to 
the  principles  which  such  persons  have  confirmed  in  them- 
selves. Setae  endure  in  that  state  a  sufficient  degree  of 
hardship,  whilst  others  experience  nothing  of  the  kind.* 
These  states  are  what  are  called  vastations,.  v/hereof  much 
mention  is  made  in  the  Word.  When  the  time  of  vastation 
is  over,  they  are  taken  up  into  heaven,  and  are  instructed 
in  the  truths  of  faith."  Arc.  CoeL,  1106. 

Such,  in  a  few  words,  is  the  account  which  Swedenborg 
gives  of  vastations  in  the  spiritual  world,  whereby  numbers 
of  upright  and  conscientious  persons  are  divested  of  those 
worldly  and  terrestrial  things,  which  do  not  accord  with  the 
angelic  life.  For  it  is  scarcely  to  be  supposed  that  many 
men  are  to  be  found  who  are  so  perfectly  satisfied  with  their 
spiritual  attainments,  and  freedom  from  errors  and  impuri- 
ties of  various  kinds,  as  to  think  themselves  in  all  respects 
qualified  for  an  immediate  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  and  that  at  the  hour  of  death  they  shall  have 
nothing  to  do  but  to  take  their  seats  at  once  among  blessed 
angels,  and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  process  of  vastation  also  takes  place  with 
the  wicked  before  they  are  in  all  respects  prepared  for  hell ; 
but  in  their  case  vastation  is  the  divesting  or  depriving 
them  of  whatever  external  or  apparent  good  and  truth 

*  This  last  sentence,  on  whicli  Mr.  Pike  appears  to  lay  great  stress, 
is  somewhat  varied  from  the  translation  in  Arcana  Calestia,  with  a 
view  to  render  it  more  conformable  to  the  original,  which  rans  thus : 
"  Quidam  ibi  satis  dura  patiunliir,  quidam  non  dura." 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL,  SWEDENBORG. 


139 


they  might  possess,  in  consequence  of  former  hypocritical 
habits,  until  being  reduced  both  internally  and  externally 
to  a  full  conformity  with  the  ruling  evil  adopted  in  the 
world,  they  are  at  length  consigned  to  their  final  abodes  of 
misery  and  despair.  These  states  of  vastation,  or  full  pre- 
paration for  heaven  and  for  hell,  respectively,  are  plainly 
alluded  to  by  the  Lord,  where  he  says,  "  Unto  every  one 
that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abundance  :  but 
from  him  that  hath  not,  shaU  be  taken  away  even  that  which 
he  hath,"  Matt.  xxv.  29. 

The  common  opinion,  therefore,  that  man  after  death  is 
either  immediately  raised  to  heaven,  or  immediately  cast 
down  to  hell,  without  any  intervening  process  of  justice  or 
open  manifestation  of  his  internal  life,  is  not  only  most  un- 
reasonable in  itself,  but  plainly  repugnant  to  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  which  further  declare,  that  "there  is  nothing 
covered,  w^hich  shall  not  be  revealed;  neither  hid,  which 
shall  not  be  known :  therefore,  whatsoever  ye  have  spoken 
in  darkness,  shall  be  heard  in  the  light;  and  that  which  ye 
have  spoken  in  the  ear  in  closets,  shall  be  proclaimed  vpon 
Vie  house-tops,"  Luke  xii.  2,  3 ;  Matt.  x.  26 ;  Mark  iv.  22. 

With  respect  to  the  places  of  vastation  in  the  spiritual 
world,  they  are  repeatedly  spoken  of  in  the  Word  under 
the  names  of  lower  earth,  pit,  the  prison,  the  land  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  etc.,  which,  though  situated  near  the  hells, 
are  perfectly  distinct  from  them.  The  lower  earth  is  that 
portion  of  the  world  of  spirits,  or  intermediate  state,  which 
is  immediately  under  the  feet  of  those  who  are  in  that 
world  :  the  pit  is  under  the  lower  earth,  each  of  which  is  a 
kind  of  prison,  or  place  of  temporary  captivity,  until  their 
inhabitants  are  prepared  for  elevation  into  heaven :  and 
the  hells  are  iinder  and  surrounding  the  whole.  These  facts, 
which  are  asserted  by  Swedenborg,  are  proved  by  the  fol- 
lowing passages  from  the  Word  itself: 


140 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


Isa.  xiv.  15,  19.  "Thou  shalt  be  brought  down  to  hell, 
to  the  sides  of  the  pit.  Thou  art  east  out  of  thy  grave,  like 
an  abominable  branch  ;  and  as  the  raiment  of  those  that 
are  slain,  thrust  through  with  a  sword,  that  go  down  to  the 
stones  of  the  pit,  as  a  carcase  trodden  un  der  foot."  Here  hell 
is  the  place  of  the  damned  ;  the  pit  is  where  they  who  are 
in  falses  are  to  be  vastated  ;  stones  are  the  borders  or  termi- 
nations, which  are  also  called  sides,  because  round  about 
the  pits  are  the  hells ;  and  the  whole  is  represented  to  be 
underfoot 

Isa.  xxiv.  22.  "They  shall  be  gathered  together  as 
prisoners  are  gathered  in  the  pit,  and  shall  be  shut  up  in  the 
prison,  and  after  many  days  shall  they  be  visited."  The 
prisoners  in  the  pit  are  they  who  are  undergoing  vastation 
or  temptation ;  of  whom  it  is  said,  that  after  many  days 
they  shall  be  visited,  that  is,  released  and  comforted. 

Isa.  xlii.  6,  7.  "  I  Jehovah  will  give  thee  for  a  covenant 
of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the  Gentiles,  to  open  the  blind 
eyes,  to  brint/  out  the  prisoners  from  the  prison,  and  them 
that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison-house."  This  passage 
alludes  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  when  he  liberated 
those  in  the  spiritual  world,  who  were  in  the  lower  earth, 
and  in  the  pits  or  prison-houses  adjoining  it,  in  states  of 
vastation.  Peter,  in  his  First  Epistle,  also  says,  that  the 
Lord  after  his  crucifixion  "  went  and  preached  unto  the 
spirits  in  prison,  which  sometime  were  disobedient,  when 
once  the  long-suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah, 
while  the  ark  was  preparing,"  chap.  iii.  19,  20.  Now  if  he 
preached  unto  those  spirits,  he  must  have  instructed  them 
in  such  truths  as  they  were  ignorant  of,  and  thus  opened 
the  eyes  of  their  understandings,  which  were  before  in- 
volved in  spiritual  darkness,  or  in  ignorance  of  divine 
things. 

Apoc.  v.  13.    "  And  every  creature  which  is  in  heaven, 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SWEDENBOKG.  141 

and  on  the  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and  such  as  are  in 
the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them,  heard  I,  saying,  Blessing, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  him  that  sitteth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  for  ever  and  ever." 
The  lower  parts  of  the  spiritual  world  are  here  meant  by 
the  phrase,  tinder  the  earth;  for  it  is  plain,  that  the  natural 
world  is  not  alluded  to,  since  men  do  not  in  this  world 
dwell  under  the  earth. 

Apoc.  vi.  9.  "  I  saw  under  the  altar  the  souls  of  them 
that  were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony 
which  they  held."  The  place  where  these  souls  were  seen, 
was  in  the  lower  earth  of  the  spiritual  world ;  and  they  are 
said  to  be  under  the  altar,  because  they  worshiped  the 
Lord,  and  were  preserved  by  him  until  the  time  of  their 
elevation  into  heaven. 

XXXIX. — The  Intermediate  State,  or  World  op 
Spirits. 

The  doctrine  of  an  intermediate  state  and  place  between 
heaven  and  hell  being,  however,  with  difficulty  admitted  by 
many  sincere  and  upright  characters,  particularly  of  the 
Protestant  persuasion,  it  is  considered  advisable,  for  the 
sake  of  these,  to  add  a  few  more  observations  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  to  confirm  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  by  a  further 
appeal  to  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  But  first  of  all,  let  the 
terms  made  use  of  be  defined.  The  spiritual  ivorld  is  the 
general  abode  of  all  spiritual  beings,  whether  good,  evil, 
or  of  a  mixed  quality :  consequently  it  includes  heaven, 
hell,  and  the  world  of  spirits,  or  intermediate  state  between 
both.  Heaven  is  the  eternal  residence  of  angels,  in  other 
words,  of  deceased  men  made  perfect  and  happy  in  their 
several  degrees.  Hell  is  the  eternal  abode  of  devils,  in 
other  words,  of  deceased  men  also,  who  by  a  life  of  wicked- 
ness have  plunged  themselves  into  the  depth  of  imperfection 


142 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


and  misery,  according  to  their  several  states  and  degrees  of 
evil.  And  the  world  of  spirits,  or  intermediate  state  and 
place  between  heaven  and  hell,  is  the  temporary  abode  of 
such  deceased  men  as,  being  partly  in  good  and  truth,  and 
partly  in  evil  and  falsehood,  are  not  yet  fully  prepared  for 
either,  but  are  undergoing  the  process  of  vastation  and  in- 
struction, which  will  finally  terminate  in  the  elevation  of 
some  into  heaven,  and  the  depression  of  others  into  hell, 
each  according  to  the  ruling  love  which  he  had  pre- 
viously formed  in  himself  during  his  abode  in  the  natural 
world.  To  this  intermediate  world  of  spirits  may  be  re- 
ferred those  pits,  prisons  and  habitations  in  the  lower  earth, 
which  have  been  already  spoken  of  in  the  preceding  pages. 

The  world  of  spirits,  then,  to  which  we  are  now  more 
particularly  about  to  call  attention  of  the  reader,  is  that 
world  into  which  every  man  passes  immediately  on  the 
death  of  the  body.  That  there  must  be,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  such  an  intermediate  state  and  place,  is  plain  from 
a  due  consideration  of  what  it  is  that  constitutes  heaven, 
and  what  hell ;  and  how  rare  and  uncommon  it  is  for  either 
of  those  states  to  be  perfected  in  the  present  life.  Now  as 
good  and  truth,  together  with  their  conjunction  in  man,  con- 
stitute heaven  both  within  him  and  without  him ;  and  as,  on 
the  other  hand,  evil  and  falsehood,  together  with  their  con- 
junction in  man,  constitute  hell  both  within  him  and  with- 
out him  ;  and  yet  neither  of  these  two  opposite  states  can 
be  supposed  to  be  completed  in  this  life,  evei-y  man  (with 
few  exceptions,  if  any)  being  partly  in  good  and  truth,  and 
partly  in  evil  and  falsehood ;  it  therefore  necessarily  fol- 
lows, that  man  dying  in  this  mixed  state  is,  on  his  first  en- 
trance into  another  life,  neither  fully  prepared  for  heaven, 
nor  fully  prepared  for  hell,  but  stands  as  it  were  midway 
between  both. 

The  good  and  virtuous,  or  they  in  whom  the  love  of  good 


WRITINGS  OF  EMAKUEL,  SWEDEXBORG.  143 

predominates  over  the  love  of  evil,  are  then,  by  means  of 
instruction  suited  to  the  capacity  and  peculiar  disposition 
of  each,  by  degrees  delivered  from  the  various  imperfections, 
infirmities,  and  errors,  which  adhered  to  them  in  their 
natural  state ;  and  are  thus  prepared  by  the  Lord  for  an 
actual  entrance  into  some  of  the  heavenly  societies,  wherein 
they  enjoy,  in  common  with  angels,  all  the  happiness  of 
which  their  love  and  faith  have  rendered  them  susceptible. 
But  the  wicked,  or  they  in  whom  the  love  of  evil  predomi- 
nates over  the  love  of  good,  are  gradually  divested  of  the 
real  or  apparent  good  and  truth  which  they  may  possess  ; 
and  after  being  reduced  both  internally  and  externally  to  a 
full  conformity  to  those  principles  of  evil,  which  they  had 
adopted  in  the  world,  they  are  consigned,  or  rather  volun- 
tarily betake  themselves,  to  such  of  the  infernal  societies 
as  make  one  with  their  life,  and  with  them  experience  all 
the  misery  which  is  inseparable  from  their  ruling  love,  and 
their  delight  in  evil. 

In  addition  to  the  many  passages  already  cited  in  proof 
of  the  actual  existence  of  a  middle  state  between  heaven 
and  hell,  which,  for  the  sake  of  distinguishing  it  fi-om 
other  parts  of  the  spiritual  world  at  large,  is  very  properly 
called  the  world  of  qjirits,  as  being  the  immediate  or  first 
receptacle  of  departed  souls,  the  following  are  worthy  of 
being  attentively  considered. 

1  Sam.  xxviii.  11  to  19.  Samuel,  after  he  was  dead,  first 
appeared  to  a  woman  who  had  a  familiar  spirit,  and  after- 
ward to  Saul,  whose  spiritual  eyes  were  opened  on  the 
occasion:  during  which  interview  Samuel  was  neither  in 
heaven  nor  in  hell,  but  in  the  world  of  spirits  between 
both,  and  probably  in  that  part  of  it  which  is  called  the 
loiuer  earth;  for  the  woman  said,  "I  saw  gods  (or  powerful 
beings)  ascending  out  of  the  earth,"  ver.  13 :  and  again,  she 


144 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


said,  "An  old  man  {Samuel)  cometh  up,  and  he  is  covered 
•with  a  mantle,"  ver.  14. 

2  Kings  vi.  17.  A  mountain  full  of  horses  and  chariots 
of  fire  was  seen  in  the  world  of  spirits,  or  intermediate 
place  between  heaven  and  hell,  by  Elisha's  young  man, 
but  not  till  his  spiritual  eyes  were  opened  for  the  express 
purpose. 

Ezekiel,  chap.  ii.  iii.  viii.  ix.  x.  xxxvii.  xl.  xli.  xlii.  xliii. 
xliv.  xlvi.  xlvii.  In  all  these  chapters  the  prophet  speaks 
of  what  he  saw  in  vision,  or  in  the  world  of  spirits ;  but 
particularly  in  chap.  viii.  he  states,  that,  while  he  was  in 
the  spirit,  he  was  lifted  up  between  the  earth  and  the  heaven  : 
and  in  chap,  xxxvi.  that  the  spirit  took  him,  and  set  him 
down  in  the  midst  of  a  valley  full  af,  dry  bones,  which  after- 
ward received  life.  Now  this  valley  was  neither  in  heaven, 
nor  in  hell,  and  yet  it  was  in  some  part  of  the  spiritual 
world ;  for  the  prophet  expressly  says,  that  he  was  taken 
there  in  the  sjnrit.  Whence  it  clearly  follows,  that  there  is 
an  intermediate  state  and  place  between  heaven  and  hell, 
which  being  inhabited  by  spirits  of  a  mixed  quality,  not 
yet  prepared  either  for  the  one  or  the  other,  is  therefore 
called  the  world  of  spirits. 

Luke  xvi.  26.  Abraham  in  heaven  said  to  the  rich  man 
in  hell,  "Between  us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed." 
This  great  gulf,  or  open  space,  is  that  intermediate  state 
and  place  between  heaven  and  hell,  called  the  world  of 
spirits,  of  which  we  are  now  speaking. 

Matt,  xxviii ;  Mark  xvi ;  Luke  xxiv ;  John  xx ;  chap, 
xxi.  By  each  of  the  Evangelists  we  are  informed,  that 
our  Lord,  after  his  resurrection,  was  in  a  spiritual  state 
previous  to  his  ascension  into  heaven ;  and  that,  while  in  this 
state,  he  at  different  times  appeared  to  his  disciples,  by 
opening  their  spiritual  eyes,  and  thereby  enabling  them  to 
see  his  person,  now  no  longer  material  as  before.  .In  tlw> 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  145 

Acts  of  the  Apostles,  chap.  i.  3,  we  also  read,  that  he  con- 
tinued no  less  than  forty  days  in  that  part  of  the  spiritual 
world,  which  lies  between  heaven  and  hell,  and  that  at 
length  he  ascended  toward  heaven,  until  a  cloud  received 
him  out  of  their  sight,  ver.  9. 

Apoc.  i.  10 ;  chap.  iv.  1 ;  chap.  vi.  9  ;  chap.  vii.  1 ;  chap, 
viii.  10  ;  chap.  ix.  1,  2;  chap.  x.  1,  2;  chap.  xi.  12;  chap, 
xii.  5;  chap.  xiii.  1,  11;  chap.  xvi.  16;  chap.  xvii.  3; 
chap,  xviii.  1 ;  chap.  xix.  17  to  21 ;  chap.  xx.  1,  2,  3,  7,  8, 
9 ;  chap.  xxi.  10.  From  the  passages  here  referred  to,  and 
many  others  in  the  book  of  Eevelation,  the  doctrine  of  an 
intermediate  state,  place,  or  world,  between  heaven  and 
hell,  is  so  plainly  set  forth,  as  to  admit  of  no  reasonable 
doubt.  For  the  apostle  John  first  declares,  that  he  was  in 
the  spirit,  or  in  spiritual  vision;  and  then  that  he  saw 
heaven  above  him,  and  the  bottomless  pit  beneath  him; 
That  he  saw  a  star  fall  from  the  one,  and  smoke  ascend 
from  the  other:  That  he  saw  the  souls  of  martyrs  under 
the  altar,  who  were  not  as  yet  elevated  into  heaven,  but 
were  to  remain  for  a  season  in  the  place  they  then  occupied, 
until  the  number  of  their  brethren  shduld  be  fulfilled: 
That  he  saw  four  angels  standing  on  the  four  corners  of 
the  earth ;  and  another  angel  standing  with  his  right  foot 
upon  the  sea,  and  his  left  foot  upon  the  earth,  with  his 
hand  lifted  up  toward  heaven :  That  he  saw  a  beast  rise  up 
out  of  the  sea,  and  another  from  the  earth  :  That  the  name 
of  one  of  the  places  in  the  intermediate  world  is  called  in 
the  Hebrew  tongue  Armageddon,  and  is  the  seat  of  spiritual 
warfare  between  the  powers  of  heaven  from  above,  and  the 
powers  of  hell  from  beneath. 

After  these  abundant  proofs  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures 
of  the  actual  existence  of  an  intermediate  state  and  place 
between  heaven  and  hell,  the  reader,  it  is  presumed,  must 
be  fully  convinced  of  the  ■  rashness  and  futility  of  Mr. 

12 


146 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


Pike's  assertions  to  the  contrary;  since  few  doctrines  of 
revelation  are  more  plainly  taught,  than  that  against  which 
he  has  raised  so  loud  an  outcry. 

XL. — The  Place  of  Punishment,  or  Hell. 

Swedenborg's  account  of  hell,  or  the  place  of  punishment 
in  the  spiritual  world,  is  in  few  words  as  follows :  "  As  love 
toward  the  Lord  and  our  neighbor,  together  with  the  joy 
and  happiness  therein  originating,  constitute  heaven,  so 
hatred  against  our  Lord  and  against  our  neighbor,  together 
with  the  punishment  and  torment  therein  originating,  con- 
stitute hell.  There  are  innumerable  genera  of  hatreds,  and 
still  more  innumerable  species ;  and  hence  the  hells  are  in- 
numerable. As  heaven,  by  means  of  mutual  love,  consti- 
tutes as  it  were  one  man  and  one  soul,  and  thus  regards  one 
end,  which  is  the  preservation  and  salvation  of  all  to  eter- 
nity, so  on  the  other  hand,  hell  formed  from  proprium  by 
self-love  and  the  love  of  the  world,  that  is,  by  hatred,  con- 
stitutes one  devil  and  one  mind,  and  thus  regards  one  end, 
which  is  the  destruction  and  damnation  of  all  to  eternity. 
The  torments  of  the  wicked  in  hell  are  such  as  cannot  be 
described :  for  the  highest  satisfaction  of  their  life  consists 
in  being  able  to  punish,  torture,  and  torment  each  other, 
which  they  do  by  arts  most  unknown  to  the  world,  whereby 
they  excite  exquisite  sensations,  just  as  if  they  were  in  the 
body,  and  also  direful  and  horrible  phantasies,  together 
with  terrors  and  horrors,  and  many  more  things  of  a  similar 
kind.  The  diabolical  crew  perceive  so  much  pleasure 
herein,  that,  if  it  were  possible  for  them  to  increase  and 
strain  pangs  and  torments  to  infinity,  they  would  not  even 
then  be  satisfied,  but  would  still  burn  with  desire  to  go  be- 
yond infinite.  The  Lord  however  takes  away  their  ten- 
dencies, and  mitigates  their  torments."  Arc.  Ciel.,  693  to  695. 

From  this  extract  Mr.  Pike  has  selected  the  following 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  147 


passage  for  animadversion :  "  Hell  formed  from  proprium 
by  self-love  and  the  love  of  the  world,  tliat  is,  by  hatred, 
constitutes  one  devil  and  one  mind."  In  opposition  to  which 
he  remarks,  that,  "  the  Scriptures  do  not  represent  hell  as  a 
devil  or  a  mind,  but  as  a  place  of  torment."  That  hell  is  a 
place,  as  well  as  a  state  of  mind,  is  admitted  and  confirmed 
by  Swedenborg  in  many  parts  of  his  writings,  particularly 
in  his  True  Christian  Religion,  as  quoted  by  Mr.  Pike, 
where  he  calls  it  "  the  common  receptacle  of  all,  who  since 
the  creation  of  the  world,  have  alienated  themselves  from 
God  : "  but  that  the  same  term  is  also  used  in  the  Scriptures 
to  denote  one  form,  one  devil,  one  mind,  and  the  principle  of 
evil  in  general,  is  plain  from  the  following  passages : 

Isa.  xiv.  9.  "  Hell  from  beneath  is  moved  for  thee  to 
meet  thee  at  thy  coming."  This  cannot  with  propriety  be 
said  of  hell  as  a  place,  but  as  an  assemblage  of  devils  or  einl 
spirits,  who  are  combined  together  as  one  form,  one  devil, 
and  one  mind,  to  seduce  and  to  destroy. 

Apoc.  vi.  8.  "I  looked,  and  behold,  a  pale  horse,  and 
his  name  that  sat  on  him  was  Death,  and  hell  followed  with 
him."  Here  death  means  the  extinction  of  spiritual  life, 
and  hell  a  state  of  damnation  as  the  consequence  thereof. 
Place  is  one  thing,  state  is  another ;  and  the  term  hell  some- 
times, but  not  always,  implies  both. 

Apoc.  XX.  14.  "  Death  and  hell  were  cast  into  the  lake  of 
fire."  If  hell  signified  nothing  more  than  a  certain  place 
so  called,  as  insisted  upon  by  Mr.  Pike,  then  it  would  follow 
from  the  words  here  quoted,  that  hell  was  east  into  hell! 
which  is  a  thing  impossible.  But  when  it  is  considered, 
that  by  the  terms  death  and  hell  are  denoted  the  wicked 
and  impious  in  general,  by  death  such  as  were  interiorly  in 
evils,  and  therefore  in  reality  devils,  and  by  hell  such  as 
were  interiorly  in  falses,  and  therefore  in  reality  satans, 
there  is  then  no  difficulty  whatever  in  comprehending 


148 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


what  is  meant  by  death  and  hell  being  cast  into  the  lake 
oj  fire. 

Let  the  reader  now  compare  these  passages  with  Mr. 
Pike's  bold  assertion,  that  the  Scriptures  do  not  represent 
hell  as  a  devil  or  a  mind,  but  only  as  a  place  of  punishment. 
Hell  is  moved  from  beneath  to  meet  a  man  at  his  coming ; 
an  agreement  is  entered  into  with  hell ;  the  belly  of  a  fish 
is  called  the  belly  of  hell ;  a  proselyte  of  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees  is  called  a  child  of  hell ;  death  rides  upon  a  pale 
horse,  and  hell  follows  with  him  ;  and  lastly  death  and  hell 
are  both  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  None  of  these  par- 
ticulars accord  with  the  ideas  of  hell  as  a  mere  place  or  in- 
animate locality ;  but  they  evidently  imply  a  living  agent, 
or  an  assemblage  of  minds  all  acting  under  one  common 
impulse,  and  bearing  one  common  name,  as  the  legion  of 
devils  did,  who,  though  many  in  number  (perhaps  no  fewe/ 
than  two  thousand,  as  they  afterward  entered  into  so  many 
swine),  are  yet  called  and  addressed  as  only  one  unclean 
spirit,  Mark  v.  2,  8  to  13 ;  Luke  viii.  29,  30.  From  these 
considerations  then  it  plainly  follows,  that  the  term  hell,  as 
used  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  not  only  denotes  a  place  of 
punishment,  but  also  the  principle  of  evil  itself,  which  is  the 
cause  of  punishment,  together  with  those  infernal  spirits 
who  combine  together,  as  one  mind  and  one  monster,  to 
produce  one  end,  the  subversion  of  order,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  around  them. 

XLI. — The  Inhabitants  op  Heaven,  as  well  as  of 
Hell,  are  all  of  the  Human  Race. 

The  doctrine  maintained  by  Swedenborg  from  the  ex- 
press declarations  and  true  sense  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures, 
that  angels  and  devils  are  of  the  human  race,  is  again  for 
the  third  time  assailed  by  Mr.  Pike,  who  seems  very  un- 
happy that  he  should  be  placed  so  high  in  the  scale  of  crea- 


WniTIXGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEXBORO.  149 


tion,  as  to  be  entitled  to  the  privilege  of  calling  an  angel 
his  broth ! 

But  this  subject  having  been  already  sufficiently  dis- 
cussed, and  the  identity  of  angels  with  men  clearly  demon- 
strated from  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  it  remains  now  only  to 
advert  to  an  objection  urged  by  Mr.  Pike  from  Matt.  xxv. 
31,  32,  where  it  is  said,  that  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in 
his  glory,  attended  by  the  holy  angels,  that  then  all  the  na- 
tions shall  be  gathered  before  him,  and  that  he  will  separate 
the  sheep  or  the  righteous  from  the  goats.  "  If  (says  he,) 
the  holy  angels  had  once  been  righteous  men,  instead  of 
being  the  attendants  of  the  eternal  Judge,  they  would  be 
the  sheep  that  shall  be  gathered  before  him.  The  Lord 
also  declares,  that  at  that  day  he  will  send  forth  his  angels, 
who  shall  sever  the  wicked  from  the  just :  but  if  they  them- 
selves were  just  men,  what  would  be  the  meaning  of  send- 
ing them  forth  to  sever  the  wicked  from  the  just?  In 
various  other  passages,  holy  angels  are  described  as  forming 
the  train  of  the  eternal  Judge  ;  but  in  no  one  of  them  as 
standing  before  his  bar  to  be  judged  by  him." 

The  whole  of  this  objection  is  founded  on  the  mistaken 
though  prevailing  opinion,  that  the  judgment  spoken  of  in 
the  Gospels  is  to  be  a  judgment  upon  all  of  the  human 
race,  who  have  ever  lived,  and  who  shall  live,  from  the 
creation  of  the  world  to  the  end  of  time.  But  it  has  been 
proved  (p.  92  to  94)  that  this  is  not  the  true  doctrine  of 
the  Sacred  Scriptures  on  the  subject ;  that  several  judg- 
ments have  taken  place  prior  to  that  above  alluded  to, 
namely,  at  the  end  of  the  Most  Ancient,  the  Ancient, 
and  Israelitish  churches  ;  and  consequently  that  the  wicked 
liave  several  times  been  separated  from  the  just,  when  these 
latter  have  successively  been  elevated  to  heaven,  and  thus 
invested  with  the  character,  name  and  office  of  angels. 
This  single  consideration  detects  the  fallacy  of  Mr.  Pike's 
13* 


150 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


reasoning,  and  at  once  annuls  his  whole  argument,  which  is 
built,  not  on  the  true  sense  of  the  Lord's  words  in  the  Gos- 
pel, but  on  his  own  misapprehension  of  the  language  and 
doctrine  of  divine  inspiration. 

XLII. — Evil  Spirits  Disturbing  Heaven. 

It  is  again  objected  to  Swedenborg,  that  he  represents  the 
hells,  or  evil  spirits  from  the  hells,  as  disturbing  heaven 
before  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  and  infesting  it  a  thousand 
different  ways :  and  this  Mr.  Pike  considers  as  opposed  to 
the  Scriptures,  which  say,  "  There  shall  in  no  wise  enter 
into  it  (heaven),  any  thing  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever 
worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie,"  Apoc.  xxi.  27. 
And  again,  "Lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven, 
where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal,"  Matt.  vi.  20. 
Yet  this  very  attempt  of  the  infernals  to  disturb,  plunder 
and  destroy  heaven,  is  one  of  the  reasons  which  induced 
the  Lord  to  come  into  the  world,  in  order  to  frustrate  their 
designs.  It  is  therefore  written,  "  Blessed  be  the  King  that 
cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord :  peace  in  heaven,  and 
glory  in  the  highest,"  Luke  xix.  38.  Here  mention  is 
made  of  peace  being  produced  in  heaven,  as  an  effect  of  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  into  the  world ;  which  evidently  im- 
plies that  before  such  coming  the  angels  were  in  some 
measure  disturbed  or  infested  by  the  machinations  of  evil 
spirits.  This  is  more  plainly  expressed  in  these  words  by 
an  inspired  penman  :  "  There  was  war  in  heaven ;  Michael 
and  his  angels  fought  against  the  dragon,  and  the  dragon 
fought  and  his  angels,  and  prevailed  not,  neither  was  their 
place  found  any  more  in  heaven.  And  the  great  dragon 
was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent,  called  the  devil  and  Satan, 
which  deceiveth  the  whole  world :  he  was  cast  out  into  the 
earth,  and  his  angels  were  cast  out  with  him.  And  I  heard 
a  loud  voice,  saying  in  heaven,  Now  is  come  salvation,  and 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO.  151 


Strength,  and  the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  the  power  of 
his  Christ :  for  the  accuser  (infester  and  disturber)  of  our 
brethren  is  cast  down,  which  accused  them  before  our  God 
day  and  night.  And  they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony,"  Apoc.  xii. 
7  to  11.  Our  Lord  himself  also  says  in  the  Gospel,  "I  be- 
held Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven,"  Luke  x.  18.  He 
must  then  have  found  means  to  introduce  himself  into 
those  regions  of  bliss,  from  which  he  was  at  length  expelled, 
possibly  in  some  such  way  as  the  man  without  a  wedding- 
garment  insinuated  himself  amongst  the  guests  invited  to 
the  heavenly  wedding,  who  was  in  like  manner  cast  out  into 
outer  darkness,  Matt.  xxii.  11  to  13. 

Wherein  now  does  the  account  given  by  Swedenborg  of 
the  state  of  heaven  before  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  as  being 
subject  occasionally  to  the  presence  and  infestation  of  evil 
spirits,  at  all  differ  from  the  testimony  of  divine  revelation? 
Is  it  not  in  literal  and  perfect  agreement  with  it?  And  is 
it  not  at  the  same  time  evident,  that  the  benefits  of  re- 
demption extended  not  only  to  men  upon  earth,  but  even  to 
the  angels  in  heaven,  who  found  in  it  an  accession  of 
strength,  and  security  from  all  further  danger?  Yet  Mr. 
Pike,  in  the  fullness  of  his  ignorance  on  this  imjiortant  sub- 
ject, reprobates  and  virtually  disclaims  all  part  in  a  heaven, 
that  could  stand  in  need  of  such  divine  assistance.  "  What 
a  heaven  (says  he,)  would  that  be !"  intimating  thereby 
(for  what  other  conclusion  can  be  drawn  from  his 
words  ?)  that  it  would  not  be  worthy  of  his  acceptance  or 
notice,  if  its  enjoyments  and  felicities  were  not  placed  on  a 
more  solid  and  permanent  basis,  than  the  protection  afforded 
by  the  powerful  arm  of  the  Redeemer. 

It  follows,  therefore,  if  we  would  put  a  consistent  inter- 
pretation on  the  various  passages  of  Scripture,  which  appa- 
rently oppose  each  other,  that  the  quotations  which  Mr. 


152 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


Pike  has  made  from  the  Apocalypse  and  the  Gospel,  stating 
that  heaven  is  a  place  into  which  there  shall  in  no  wise 
enter  any  thing  that  deiileth,  or  worketh  abomination,  or 
maketh  a  lie,  and  that  it  is  not  liable  to  the  violence  and 
rapacity  of  thieves,  apply  not  to  the  cases  of  a  different 
complexion  already  cited,  nor  to  others  in  which  occasional 
intrusion  into  the  blest  abodes  on  the  part  of  devils,  satans, 
and  hypocrites,  has  been  permitted  for  wise  and  useful  pur- 
poses, but  are  to  be  understood  as  conveying  a  divine 
assurance,  that  no  one  can  be  received  into  the  new  Church 
and  kingdom  of  the  Lord,  who  defiles  and  perverts  his 
Word,  or  who  confirms  himself  in  evils  of  life,  and  in 
falses  of  doctrine ;  and  in  general,  that  all  who  believe  in 
the  Lord,  and  live  according  to  his  commandments,  will 
hereafter  be  placed  in  a  state  of  perfect  security  from  all 
danger;  so  that  even  admitting  the  casual  introduction  of 
strangers,  as  of  wolves  among  lambs,  of  leopards  among 
kids,  or  of  lions  among  calves,  a  state  of  innocency  shall 
still  bear  rule,  and  nothing  shall  by  any  means  hurt  or  de- 
stroy in  all  the  holy  mountain,  Isa.  xi.  6.  to  9. 

XLIII. — The  Wicked  go  Voluntarily  to  Hell,  and 
Infernal  Spirits  have  their  Delights. 

Another  sore,  which  Mr.  Pike  appears  to  feel  to  the 
quick,  is  that,  "  according  to  Swedenborg,  men  go  volun- 
tarily to  hell,"  and  that  infernal  spirits  "  have  their  de- 
lights." The  idea  generally  entertained  by  the  ignorant  of 
the  nature  of  hell,  as  consisting  merely  in  torments,  pro- 
duced by  the  application  of  fire  and  brimstone  to  immortal 
souls,  whereby  they  are  perpetually  roasting  without  ever 
being  consumed,  has  evidently  led  to  the  objection  here 
stated.  Under  a  full  conviction,  that  no  man  would  will- 
ingly court  punishment,  or  feel  anything  like  pleasure  and 
delight  in  the  pains  of  damnation,  and  taking  it  for 


WRITIXGS  OF  E^fANUEL  SWEDEXBORG. 


153 


granted,  that  hell  is  nothing  else  but  a  place  of  extreme 
suffering  without  a  moment's  respite,  Mr.  Pike  thinks  it 
passing  strange  to  be  told  that  the  wicked  spirits  after 
death  betake  themselves  voluntarily  and  even  clieerjulhj  to 
hell.  He  does  not  seem  to  be  at  all  aware  that  hell  con- 
sists, first,  in  the  delight  of  doing  evil ;  and  secondly,  in 
the  punishment  and  misery  which  that  delight,  when  put 
forth  into  action,  unavoidably  entails :  just  as  on  the  other 
hand,  heaven  consists,  first,  in  the  delight  of  doing  good  ; 
and  secondly,  in  the  happiness,  which  that  delight,  when 
put  forth  into  action,  necessarily  produces.  The  difference 
in  the  quality  of  these  delights  constitutes  the  essential 
difference  between  heaven  and  hell.  The  delights  which 
prevail  in  hell,  are  the  delights  of  hatred,  revenge  and 
murder ;  of  adultery  and  whoredom  ;  of  depredation  and 
theft;  of  raillery,  false  testimony,  and  blasphemy;  of  the 
denial  of  God,  and  profanation  of  his  Holy  Word,  with 
many  other  kinds  ;  all  of  which  are  opposed  to  the  delights 
of  heaven,  arising  from  love  to  the  Lord  and  love  to  our 
neighbor. 

That  the  delight  of  doing  good,  in  obedience  to  the 
divine  law,  constitutes  heaven,  is  plain  from  these  passages 
in  the  "Word,  which  describe  the  character  of  the  good 
man:  "His  delight  is  in  the  law  of  Jehovah,  and  in  his 
law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night,"  Ps.  i.  2.  "Delight 
thyself  in  Jehovah ;  and  he  shall  give  thee  the  desires  of 
thy  heart,"  Ps.  xxxvii.  4.  "I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my 
God  :  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart,"  Ps.  xl.  8.  "  In  the 
multitude  of  my  thoughts  within  me,  thy  comforts  delight 
my  soul,"  Ps.  xciv.  19.  "Thy  testimonies  are  my  delight, 
and  my  counselors.  I  have  chosen  the  way  of  truth. 
Unless  thy  law  had  been  my  delights,  I  had  perished.  Thy 
commandments  are  my  delights,"  Ps.  cxix.  24,  30,  92,  143. 
"Let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness,"  Isa.  Iv.  2.  "They 


154 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


seek  me  daily,  and  delight  to  know  my  ways;  they  take 
delight  in  approaching  to  God,"  Isa.  Iviii.  2.  "Mary  hath 
chosen  that  good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from 
her,"  Luke  x.  42.  These  and  many  other  passages  clearly 
announce,  that  the  delight  and  choice  of  doing  good,  and 
of  walking  in  the  way  of  truth,  constitute  the  very  essence 
of  the  heavenly  life,  and  qualifies  man  for  the  enjoyment 
of  those  ineffable  pleasures,  which  are  said  to  be  "at  the 
right  hand  of  God,"  Ps.  xvi.  11.  Now  if  hell  be  the  re- 
verse of  heaven,  which  none  will  deny,  it  must  be  so  in  all 
its  delights,  as  well  as  in  the  consequences  of  those  delights : 
and  as  the  character  and  condition  of  man  after  death  are 
determined  altogether  by  the  quality  of  his  delights,  or, 
what  is  the  same  thing,  by  the  choice  which  he  has  pre- 
viously made,  and  still  continues  to  make,  either  of  good 
or  of  evil,  it  necessarily  follows,  that  his  future  heaven  or 
his  future  hell  will  be  according  to  the  same.  Hence  it  is 
■written  of  the  wicked,  "Ye  did  evil  before  mine  eyes,  and 
did  choose  that  wherein  I  delighted  not,"  Isa.  Ixv.  12. 
"They  have  chosen  their  own  ways,  and  their  soul  delighteth 
in  their  abominations,"  Isa.  Ixvi.  3.  "  Death  shall  be  chosen, 
rather  than  life,  by  all  the  residue  of  them  that  remain  of 
this  evil  family,"  Jer.  viii.  3.  "Without  are  dogs,  and 
sorcerers,  and  whoremongers,  and  murderers,  and  idolaters, 
and  whosoever  loveth  and  maketh  a  lie,"  Apoc.  xxii.  15. 

From  these  considerations  it  is  evident,  that,  as  the  life 
of  angels  and  blessed  spirits  is  the  life  of  their  choice  and 
of  their  delights,  so,  on  the  contrary,  the  life  of  infernal 
and  wicked  spirits  is  equally  the  life  of  their  choice  and  of 
their  delights ;  that,  as  the  one  leads  to  the  enjoyment  of 
real  and  permanent  bliss,  so  the  other  is  productive  of 
misery  and  unhappiness ;  consequently,  as  before  observed, 
that  both  heaven  and  hell  consist  essentially  in  delights, 
but  in  such  as  are  in  direct  opposition  the  one  to  the  other. 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  155 

If  SO,  then  all  that  Mr.  Pike  has  urged  against  the  truth 
of  this  doctrine  falls  to  the  ground,  as  iuajiplicable  to  the 
subject,  notwithstanding  the  few  passages  of  Scripture, 
which  he  adduces  in  support  of  his  own  theory.  Like 
many  others,  who  know  not  how  to  collect  true  doctrine 
fi'om  the  Word,  or  how  to  separate  the  appearances  of  truth 
in  the  letter  from  the  genuine  sense  that  every  where  per- 
vades it,  and  thus  give  a  consistent  interpretation  to  the 
whole,  when  he  reads  that  "  God  is  angry  every  day,"  Ps. 
vii.  11,  and  that  at  times  he  burns  with  wrath,  fury,  indig- 
nation, and  vengeance,  "raining  upon  the  wicked  snares,  fire 
and  brimstone,  and  an  horrible  tempest,"  Ps.  xi.  6 ;  Deut. 
xxxii.  22 ;  Isa.  xxx.  27,  30,  33,  he  confirms  himself  in  the 
belief  of  these  apparent  truths,  and  teaches  others,  that 
God  is  "altogether  such  a  one  as  himself,"  Ps.  1.  21 ;  that 
he  is  actually  the  subject  of  such  hateful  passions  or 
emotions ;  that  he  is  not  only  an  intemperate  Judge,  but 
also  the  inflicter  of  punishment  himself,  the  executioner  of 
his  own  vengeance  on  the  heads  of  the  guilty,  to  whom  he 
literally  says,  "Depart,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire," 
Matt.  XXV.  41 ;  while  the  attendant  angels,  whom  he 
associates  with  himself  in  the  work  of  destruction,  are 
ordered  to  "cast  them  into  the  furnace  of  fire,  where  shall  be 
wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth,"  Matt.  xiii.  42,  50.  Thus, 
instead  of  keeping  in  view  the  genuine  truths  of  the  Word, 
which  ascribe  to  the  Lord  nothing  but  what  is  worthy  of  a 
Being  of  infinite  goodness,  and  suffering  these  to  be  his 
guide  in  determining  every  point  of  doctrine  relative  to  his 
dealings  with  mankind,  he  rashly  confounds  mercy  with 
wrath,  light  with  darkness,  heaven  with  hell,  asserting  that 
the  same  fountain  "sends  forth  at  the  same  place  sweet 
water  and  bitter,"  James  iii.  11;  and  that  "out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Most  High  proceedeth  both  evil  and  good," 
Lam.  iii.  38. 


156 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


To  do  justice  to  Swedenborg  on  this  very  important  sub- 
ject, it  is  but  reasonable  he  should  be  allowed  to  speak,  for 
himself ;  and  though  the  members  of  the  New  Church  may 
be  perfectly  satisfied  with  what  has  already  been  advanced, 
yet  as  others,  into  whose  hands  this  Vindication  of  his 
writings  may  fall,  may  not  have  had  an  opportunity  of 
forming  a  correct  judgment  fur  themselves  on  the  nature 
of  his  doctrine,  but  have  depended  on  the  garbled  extracts 
and  unfair  quotations,  which  his  enemies  have  repeatedly 
made  from  them  for  the  purjiose  of  misrepresentation  and 
deception,  the  following  observations,  taken  from  his  treat- 
ise on  Heaven  and  Hell,  are  thought  worthy  of  being  tran- 
scribed. They  are  to  be  found  in  the  section  entitled.  That 
the  Lord  casU  none  into  hell,  but  that  the  spirits  cast  themselves 
into  it,  n.  545  to  550. 

"It  is  a  prevailing  opinion  with  many,  that  God  turns 
away  his  face  from  man,  rejects  and  casts  him  into  hell ;  in 
a  word,  that  he  is  angry  with  him  for  sin,  and  inflicts  vin- 
dictive punishment  upon  him  on  that  account;  and  they 
confirm  themselves  in  this  belief  from  like  expressions  in 
the  literal  sense  of  the  Word,  not  considering,  that  the 
spiritual  sense,  which  is  the  true  interpreter  of  the  letter,  is 
very  different.  Now  the  genuine  doctrine  of  the  Church, 
as  founded  on  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  Word,  teaches, 
that  God  is  not  inexorable,  nor  implacable,  neither  hath 
any  vindictive  wrath,  nor  casts  any  one  into  hell :  and  this 
all  may  plainly  know,  who  read  the  Scriptures  with  any 
degree  of  divine  light  in  their  understandings,  as  he  is 
there  represented  as  the  fountain  of  all  good,  love,  and 
mercy ;  and  consequently  that  it  is  contrary  to  his  nature 
and  essence  to  reject  and  cast  away  any ;  but  contrariwise 
that  he  willeth  the  good  and  happiness  of  all  men,  and 
dealeth  with  them  according  to  his  infinite  love  and  mercy. 
They  who  so  think,  when  they  read  the  Word,  will  not  fail 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEXBOKG.  157 


to  discern  therein  that  hidden,  spiritnal  sense,  which  gives 
light  and  life  to  the  letter,  which  is  written  in  a  sense 
accommodated  to  our  natural  capacities,  and  first  rudi- 
ments of  knowledge. 

"Men  of  an  enlightened  understanding,  moreover,  see 
good  and  evil  in  the  same  fullness  of  contrariety  and 
opposition  that  heaven  and  hell  stand  in  to  each  other,  and 
how  all  good  comes  from  the  former,  and  all  evil  from  the 
latter,  consetjuently  that  man  is  continually  drawn  to  good 
by  the  Lord  of  heaven,  as  well  as  to  evil  by  the  attraction 
of  hell ;  and  that  unless  man  stood  between  these  two  con- 
trary attractions,  he  would  neither  have  thought,  will,  nor 
liberty,  these  being  the  effects  of  his  equilibrium  betwixt 
good  and  evil ;  consequently,  were  the  Lord  so  to  turn 
away  from  man,  as  to  leave  him  wholly  to  the  power  of 
evil,  he  would  immediately  cease  to  be  human.  This 
divine  influence  extends  to  every  man  both  bad  and  good, 
only  with  this  difference,  that,  in  respect  to  the  former,  its 
operation  consists  in  withdrawing  from  evil ;  in  respect  to 
the  latter,  in  attracting  to  all  good ;  and  the  cause  of  the 
difference  is  the  quality  or  will  of  the  recipient. 

"  From  these  considerations  it  is  evident,  that  the  evil, 
which  a  man  does,  is  by  influx  from  hell ;  and  that  the 
good,  which  he  does,  is  by  influx  from  the  Lord ;  but  by 
believing,  and  consenting  to  it  as  such,  that  the  evil 
which  he  does  is  from  himself,  he  makes  it  his  proper  own, 
and  therefore  is  the  cause  of  his  own  evil.  Evil  in  man, 
as  his  choice,  is  hell  within  him ;  for  whether  we  call  it 
evil  or  hell,  it  amounts  to  the  same.  Now  since  man  is  the 
cause  of  his  own  evil,  he  is  therefore  his  own  leader  to  hell ; 
and  so  far  is  the  Lord  from  being  chargeable  with  his  own 
destruction,  that  he  does  all  that  divine  goodness  can  do  to 
deliver  him  from  it,  consistently  with  his  choice  and  free- 
will.   All  that  belongs  to  man's  will  and  love  remains  with 

14 


158 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


liim  aftei'  death ;  he  that  wills  and  loves  evil  in  this  world, 
wills  and  loves  the  same  after  death,  and  then  it  is  no  longer 
separable  from  him ;  and  therefore  it  is,  that  he  who  by 
choice  continues  in  evil  here,  binds  himself  to  hell,  and  is 
actually  in  it  in  spirit  even  in  this  life,  and  after  death  de- 
sires nothing  moi-e  than  to  be  where  his  own  beloved  evil 
may  be  in  its  proper  province  and  exercise ;  consequently 
such  a  one  is  cast  into  hell  by  himself,  and  not  by  the  Lord. 

"How  the  above  is  efiected  shall  here  be  mentioned: 
When  any  one  first  enters  the  other  world,  he  is  received  by 
angels,  who  do  him  all  kind  offices,  enter  into  conversation 
with  him  concerning  the  Lord,  heaven  and  the  angelical 
life,  and  instruct  him  in  various  kinds  and  relations  of 
good  and  truth.  But  if  the  person,  now  become  a  spirit, 
be  one  that  was  acquainted  with  the  like  things  in  this 
world,  but  in  his  heart  had  rejected  and  despised  them,  in 
this  case,  after  some  short  conferences  with  the  angels,  he 
desires  his  dismission ;  upon  which  they  leave  him.  He 
then,  after  some  conferences  with  others,  associates  Avith 
spirits  like  unto  himself;  which  done,  he  turns  away  from 
the  Lord,  and  sets  his  face  toward  that  particular  hell 
which  he  had  fellowship  with  in  this  world,  and  where  the 
infernals  are  of  the  same  evil  affections  with  himself.  By 
this  we  may  learn,  that  the  Lord  strives  with  every  spirit  to 
draw  him  to  himself,  by  the  ministry  of  angels,  and  by  an 
influx  from  heaven ;  but  that  such,  as  are  under  the  do- 
minion of  sin,  are  reluctant  to  all  his  gracious  means  for 
good  to  them,  being  drawn  away  from  them  as  by  a  rope 
by  their  evil  propensities,  and  so  voluntarily  cast  themselves 
into  hell.  This  will  seem  incredible  to  most  in  this  world, 
from  the  general  idea  conceived  of  hell :  nor  do  those 
miserable  wretches  think  that  they  so  precipitate  them- 
selves, but  only  that  they  enter  in  of  their  own  accord, 
though  such  of  them,  as  enter  their  dismal  prisons  under 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  159 


ardent  propensities  to  evil,  appear  to  the  good  spirits  as  if 
they  were  cast  headlong  thither ;  and  from  this  appearance 
of  precipitation  comes  the  notion  of  the  Lord's  casting 
them  into  hell  by  his  almighty  power.  Let  thus  much  suf- 
fice to  show,  that  the  sinner's  destruction,  and  casting  into 
hell,  are  not  from  the  Lord,  but  from  himself,  both  in  this 
world  and  the  other. 

"  That  the  Lord,  who  is  essential  good,  love,  and  mercy, 
cannot  exercise  them  toward  all  alike,  is  because  of  the 
hindrances  which  evils  and  falses  lay  in  the  way,  and  so 
weaken  or  repel  the  divine  emanations.  Evils  and  falses 
are  as  so  many  black  clouds,  which,  by  their  interposition 
between  the  sun  and  the  human  eye,  intercept  its  lovely 
light  and  cheering  influences,  whilst  the  sun  continues 
the  same,  all-glorious,  and  tries  to  dissipate  the  obstruct- 
ing medium,  still  transmitting  something  of  light  through 
the  intermediate  veil.  The  case  is  similar  in  the  spiritual 
world :  the  Lord  and  his  divine  love  are  represented 
by  the  spiritual  sun,  and  the  light  thereof  is  divine 
truth ;  the  black  clouds  are  the  falses  from  evil ;  and  the 
eye  signifies  the  understanding  ;  and  as  far  as  any  one  there 
is  in  falses  from  evil,  in  the  same  degree  of  darkness  and 
thickness  is  the  cloud  that  surrounds  him.  This  com- 
parison may  represent  to  us  how  the  Lord  is  perpetually 
present  with  every  man,  but  difierently  according  to  his  re- 
ception. 

"  Severe  punishments  are  appointed  for  the  evil  spirits  in 
the  spiritual  world,  to  deter  them  from  the  commission  of 
evil ;  and  the  infliction  of  them  appears  as  if  from  the 
Lord ;  but  in  reality  it  all  proceeds  from  the  evil  that  is  in 
them ;  for  evil  and  its  punishment  are  inseparable  com- 
panions. Infernal  spirits  wish  and  delight  in  nothing  more 
than  to  do  mischief,  and  torment  others  that  are  not  under 
the  divine  protection  ;  and  as  all,  that  offend  through  ma- 


160 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


licious  wickedness,  withdraw  themselves  from  that  protec- 
tion, on  such  they  rush,  and  exercise  their  cruelty.  This 
may  be  illustrated  by  the  administrations  of  justice  in  this 
world,  where  the  punishment  also  follows  its  evil.  Thus 
human  laws  have  provided  a  penalty  for  every  crime,  and 
which  the  delinquent  brings  upon  himself,  only  with  this  dif- 
ference, that  offences  may  be  concealed  here,  but  not  in  the 
other  life.  Thus  the  Lord  can  no  more  be  said  to  be  the 
author  of  the  sinner's  misery,  than  the  king,  the  judge,  or  the 
law,  to  be  the  cause  of  the  criminal's  punishment,  as  having 
nothing  to  do  with  the  guilt  that  entails  it  upon  him." 

XLIV. — Some  are  in  Hell,  and  do  not  Know  it. 

Again,  Mr.  Pike  considers  it  an  inconceivable  thing,  that 
a  man  or  a  devil  should  be  in  hell,  and  yet  not  know  that 
he  is  there.  And  indeed  it  would  be  most  extraordinary, 
if  his  notions  concerning  the  nature  of  hell,  as  consisting  of 
literal  fire  and  brimstone,  were  in  agreement  with  the  truth. 
But  the  fire  of  hell  is  not  material  or  natural  fire ;  for  this 
cannot  in  any  wise  affect  or  torment  a  spirit :  but  it  is  the 
inordinate  love  of  self  and  the  world,  together  with  all  the 
lusts,  concupiscences,  and  criminal  passions,  arising  there- 
from, such  as  malice,  envy,  hatred,  revenge,  cruelty,  lascivi- 
ousness,  adultery,  and  other  deadly  evils.  For  as  the 
heat  and  genial  warmth  of  heaven  is  pure,  disinterested 
love  and  universal  benevolence,  so  infernal  fire  is  the  con- 
tinual burning  desire  of  committing  violence,  and  spreading 
destruction  among  others.  It  is  therefore  written,  "  Wicked- 
ness burneth  as  the  fire:  it  shall  devour  the  briers  and 
thorns,  and  shall  kindle  in  the  thickets  of  the  forest,  and 
they  shall  mount  up  like  the  lifting  up  of  smoke :  the  peo- 
ple shall  be  as  the  fuel  of  the  fire :  no  man  shall  spare  his 
brother,"  Isa.  ix.  18,  19.  Again,  "  Babylon  is  fallen,  and 
is  become  the  habitation  of  devils :  and  they  cried,  when 


WRITINGS  OP  EMANUEL  SAVED ENBOHG.  161 


they  saw  the  mnoke  of  her  burning  :  and  her  smoke  rose  up 
for  ever  and  ever,"  Apoc.  xviii.  2,  18 ;  chap.  xix.  3.  In 
these  and  many  other  passages  by  fire  is  meant  the  lust  of 
self-love  and  the  love  of  the  world ;  and  by  the  smoke 
which  ascended,  the  false  arising  from  and  accompanying 
evil. 

Now,  considering  what  is  really  meant  by  the  fire  and 
smoke,  with  which  infernal  spirits  are  said  to  be  enveloped, 
and  which  at  a  distance  have  all  the  a])pearance  of  being 
literally  such:  and  considering  further,  that  the  persons 
spoken  of  do  actually  "  call  evil  good,  and  good  evil ;  that 
they  put  darkness  for  light,  and  light  for  darkness,  bitter 
for  sweet,  and  sweet  for  bitter,"  Isa.  v.  20 ;  and  that  they 
"  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are 
evil,"  John  iii.  19  ;  there  is  then  no  difficulty  whatever  in 
conceiving,  that,  while  they  are  in  the  perception  of  their 
vicious  delights,  they  may  be  totally  ignorant  of  their  de- 
plorable situation ;  ignorant,  in  short,  that  they  are  in  hell, 
until  woefully  convinced  of  their  delusion  by  the  heavy  pun- 
ishments which  those  delights  unavoidably  bring  upon 
them.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  scorn  and  contempt, 
with  which  Mr.  Pike  treats  this  subject,  as  well  as  others 
equally  above  the  reach  of  his  narrow  conceptions,  so  far 
from  weakening  the  credit  due  to  Swedenborg's  testimony, 
betray  only  his  own  ignorance  of  the  true  nature  of  hell,  as 
opposed  to  heaven,  and  of  the  state  of  man  in  another  life, 
as  being  essentially  the  same  as  in  the  natural  world,  where 
each  one  follows  the  pursuits,  delights,  and  pleasures,  to 
which  his  own  inclinations  and  suitable  opportunities  lead 
him. 

14* 


162 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


XLV. — Heavenly  Joy  supposed  to  consist  in 
Perpetual  Worship. 

We  now  come  to  Mr.  Pike's  last  objection,  which  is  di- 
rected against  the  account  given  by  Swedenborg  of  heaven ; 
the  functions  and  employments  of  its  inhabitants;  their 
eating,  drinking,  and  recreations ;  the  occasional  admission 
of  strangers  therein,  who  either  withdraw  themselves  from 
it  of  their  own  accord,  or  are  cast  out ;  the  education  of 
children  ;  the  celebration  of  marriages ;  divine  worship ; 
and  various  other  particulars,  some  of  which  have  been 
already  considered  in  the  preceding  pages,  and  therefore 
require  no  further  notice,  though  Mr.  Pike  seems  never 
wearied  with  repeating  the  same  objections  over  and  over 
again. 

It  appears  to  be  an  opinion  very  generally  entertained 
by  those  who  know  no  more  of  the  nature  of  heaven  than 
they  do  of  the  nature  of  hell,  that  heavenly  joy  and  hea- 
venly employment  consist  altogether  in  praising  and  wor- 
shiping God.  And  because  Swedenborg  takes  some  pains 
to  correct  this  mistaken  idea,  Mr.  Pike  represents  him  as 
contradicting  the  Scriptures,  which  say  of  "  the  four  beasts 
in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  and  round  about  the  throne, 
that  they  rest  not  day  and  night,  saying,  Holy,  holy,  holy 
Lord  God  Almighty,"  etc.,  Apoc.  iv.  6,  8.  He  supposes 
that  these  four  beasts  or  living  creatures  "  are  designed  to 
give  a  hieroglyphical  representation  of  the  angels;"  and 
therefore  he  concludes,  that  the  angels  themselves  are  con- 
tinually employed  in  worshiping  and  celebrating  their 
Creator,  and  that  men  also,  as  forming  the  Church  triumph- 
ant, join  in  the  same  unceasing  song  of  vocal  glorification. 
But  herein  is  his  error ;  the  four  beasts  do  not  represent 
the  angels,  but  the  Word ;  and  therefore  their  place  is  said 
to  be  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  or  upon  the  throne,  because 


■WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  163 


the  Word  is  divine,  like  the  Lord  himself,  and  is  that 
whereby  all  judgment  is  performed,  John  xii.  48 :  they 
are  also  said  to  be  round  about  the  throne,  because  the  Word 
is  received  throughout  the  angelic  heaven,  and  is  the  rule 
of  life  to  each  individual  therein.  They  are  further  de- 
scribed as  being  fidl  of  eyes  before  and  beliind,  to  denote 
the  divine  wisdom,  which  is  in  every  part  of  the  Word. 
Now  when  it  is  said  of  these  four  beasts,  that  "  they  rest  not 
day  and  night,  saying.  Holy,  holy,  holy,"  etc.,  we  are  to 
understand  by  such  language,  that  the  Word  continually 
and  without  intermission  teaches,  that  the  Lord  is  the  Only 
God,  and  consequently  that  he  alone  is  to  be  Avorshiped. 
But  it  follows  in  the  chapter  above  cited,  that  "  when  those 
beasts  give  glory,  and  honor,  find  thanks,  to  him  that  sat 
on  the  throne,  who  liveth  for  ever  and  ever,"  then  "the 
four  and  twenty  elders  also  fall  down  before  him,"  and 
make  a  similar  acknowledgment ;  by  which  we  are  not 
surely  to  understand  that  finite  creatures,  like  angels  or 
men,  are  incessantly  and  without  intermission  singing  and 
praising  God  in  an  external  and  audible  manner,  which  is 
a  thing  utterly  impossible,  but  that  they  are  constantly  in 
the  true  spirit  of  devotion,  even  when  attending  to  their 
appointed  ministrations  and  active  services  to  each  other, 
Ps.  ciii.  20,  21;  Ps.  civ.  4;  Heb.  i.  14;  and  that  on  all 
suitable  occasions,  whenever  their  attention  is  more  imme- 
diately called  to  the  Word  and  worship  of  the  Lord,  they 
also,  in  an  external,  visible  and  audible  manner,  make  their 
accustomed  offerings  of  thanksgiving,  praise  and  adoration 
to  Him  that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever. 

XLVL — What  is  meant  by  Praying  always,  and 
Incessant  Glorification. 

That  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  are  not  perpetually  and 
without  intermission  engaged  in  external  acts  of  divine  • 


164 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


worship,  any  more  than  men  on  earth,  though  doubtless 
their  whole  life  is  in  the  true  spirit  of  devotion,  may  be 
known  from  this  single  consideration,  that  the  thing  is  in 
itself  impossible.  No  finite  being  has  the  power  of  continu- 
ing any  one  act  either  of  mind  or  body  for  ever;  there 
must  be  changes  of  state,  and  with  them  varieties  of  action ; 
there  must,  as  the  wise  man  says,  be  a  season  and  a  time  for 
every  purpose,  as  well  among  angels  as  men  ;  consequently 
there  must  be  a  time  for  worship,  a  time  for  useful  employ- 
ments, a  time  for  recreation,  a  time  for  social  conversation, 
a  time  for  eating  and  drinking,  and  a  time  for  rest. 
Whenever  therefore  mention  is  made,  in  the  Word,  or  in  the 
Apostolic  Epistles,  of  watching  and  praying  always,  as  in 
Luke  xviii.  1  ;  chap.  xxi.  36  ;  Rom.  i.  9  ;  Col.  i.  9  ;  1  Thess. 
v.  17  ;  2  Tim.  i.  3  ;  or  of  blessing  and  praising  the  Lord 
continually,  as  in  Ps.  xxxiv.  1 ;  Ps.  lii.  9 ;  or  of  talking  of 
his  righteousness  all  the  day  long,  as  in  Ps.  Ixxi.  24 ;  or  of 
ceasing  not  to  give  thanks,  as  in  Ps.  xxx.  12 ;  Eph.  i.  16 ; 
1  Thess.  ii.  13 ;  or  of  constantly  shouting  for  joy,  as  in  Ps. 
V.  11 ;  or  of  dwelling  in  the  home  and  tabernacle  of  the  Lord 
for  ever,  as  in  Ps.  xxiii.  6  ;  Ps.  Ixi.  4 ;  or  of  serving  him 
day  and  night  in  his  temple,  as  in  Apoc.  vii.  15 ;  all  these 
and  similar  expressions,  both  with  respect  to  angels  and 
men,  are  to  be  understood,  not  of  the  external  acts,  which 
must  of  necessity  be  of  temporary  duration,  but  of  that 
general  and  indeed  universal  spirit  of  love  and  wisdom, 
piety  and  devotion,  gratitude  and  resignation  to  the  divine 
will,  which  constitutes  the  soul  of  religion,  and  by  its 
presence  in  every  change  or  variety  of  state  causes  the 
whole  life  and  each  particular  work  to  be  an  act  of  wor- 
ship, praise  and  glorification.  So  that  whether  with  Daniel 
they  "  kneel  upon  their  knees,  and  pray,  and  give  thanks 
before  God  three  times  a  day,"  Dan.  vi.  10 ;  or  with  David 
•     they  "praise  him  seven  limes  a  day,"  Ps.  cxix.  164,  they  are 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SAVEDENBORG.  165 

still  constantly  engaged  in  his  service,  and  never  turn  aside 
from  following  the  Lord,  but  "love  him,  and  walk  in  all 
his  ways,  and  keep  his  commandments,  and  cleave  unto 
him,  and  serve  him  with  all  their  heart  and  with  all  their 
soul,"  Josh.  xxiL  5 ;  1  Sam.  xiii.  20. ;  Deut.  xi.  13. 

XLVII. — Angels  not  Perfectly  Pure. 

But,  says  Mr.  Pike,  "Swedenborg  further  informs  us, 
that  heaven  is  so  far  from  being  a  place  where  nothing  that 
defileth  can  in  any  wise  enter,  as  the  Scriptures  say,  that 
even  its  inhabitants  are  not  quite  chaste  and  pure  ;"  and, 
in  proof  of  his  charge,  gives  a  partial  quotation  from  the 
treatise  on  Conjugial  Love,  n.  71  and  746,  omitting  the  rea- 
sons upon  which  that  assertion  is  founded.  That  the  reader, 
however,  may  be  apprised  of  the  unfair  method  taken  by 
Mr.  Pike  in  this,  as  in  most  other  cases,  the  passages  re- 
ferred to  shall  be  here  given  according  to  the  true  sense 
and  meaning  of  the  author.  "  It  is  not  possible  (says  Swe- 
denborg) that  any  love  should  become  pei-fedly  pure  with 
men,  nor  with  angels,  consequently  neither  conjugial  love. 
Nevertheless,  since  the  intention  of  the  will  is  what  the 
Lord  principally  regards,  therefore  so  far  as  man  is  in  this 
intention  (of  conjugial  love),  and  perseveres  in  it,  so  far  he 
is  initiated  into  its  purity  and  sanctity,  and  successively 
advances  therein."    Conj.  Love,  71. 

And  again,  "  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  conjugial  love 
altogether  chaste  or  pure  hath  not  place  with  men,  nor  with 
angels:  there  is  still  somewhat  not  chaste  or  not  pure 
which  adjoineth  or  subjoineth  itself  thereto ;  but  this 
originates  in  a  different  principle  from  that  which  gives 
birth  to  what  is  unchaste :  for  with  the  angels  the  chaste 
principle  is  above,  and  the  principle  not  chaste  is  beneath, 
and  there  is  as  it  were  a  door  with  a  hinge  interposed  by 
the  Lord,  which  is  opened  by  determination,  and  is  provi- 


166 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


dently  prevented  from  standing  open,  lest  one  principle 
should  pass  into  the  other,  and  they  should  mix  together : 
for  the  natural  principle  of  man  from  his  nativity  is  de- 
filed, and  full-fraught  with  evils ;  whereas  his  spiritual 
principle  is  not  so,  because  the  birth  of  this  principle  is 
from  the  Lord,  for  it  is  regeneration ;  and  regeneration  is  a 
successive  separation  from  the  evils,  to  which  man  is 
naturally  inclined."    Conj.  Love,  146. 

Wherein  now  does  this  account  of  the  relative  imperfec- 
tion of  angels,  as  infinite  beings,  all  of  whom  were  originally 
natives  of  this  world,  differ  from  the  testimony  of  the  Sa- 
cred Scriptures,  and  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients  ?  Not  in  a 
single  iota.  In  the  Word  we  read,  that  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven,  those  who  had  gotten  the  victory  over  the  beast, 
and  over  his  image,  and  over  his  mark,  and  over  the  num- 
ber of  his  name,  unanimously  disclaim  all  sanctity  in  and 
of  themselves,  ascribing  it  wholly  unto  the  Lord,  saying, 
"  Who  shall  not  fear  thee,  O  Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name? 
for  thou  only  art  holy,"  Apoc.  xv.  4.  "  There  is  none  holy  as 
Jehovah,"  1  Sam.  ii.  2.  If  the  Lord  alone  be  holy,  pure, 
and  perfect,  then  neither  angels  nor  men  can  lay  claim  to 
that  character  in  any  other  sense,  than  as  organized  forms 
receptive  of  the  life  communicated  to  them,  and  that  in 
a  very  imperfect  degree  when  compared  with  the  fountain 
of  all  perfection.  "  For  who  in  heaven  can  be  compared 
unto  Jehovah  ?  who  among  the  sons  of  the  mighty  can  be 
likened  unto  Jehovah  ?"  Ps.  Ixxxix.  6.  In  one  of  the  books 
of  ancient  wisdom  the  absolute  purity  of  angels  is  ex- 
pressly denied:  "Behold,  he  put  ?io  trust  in  his  servants; 
and  his  angels  he  charged  with  folly,"  Job  iv.  18.  "  How 
can  man  be  clean,  that  is  born  of  a  woman  ?  Yea,  the  stars 
(angelic  societies)  are  not  pure  in  his  sight,"  Job  xxv.  4,  5. 
Mr.  Pike,  however,  takes  the  liberty  of  thinking  otherwise ; 
and  in  opposition  to  the  Evangelist,  the  Prophet,  the 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDEXBORG.  167 

Psalmist,  and  other  wise  men  of  antiquity,  considers  the  in- 
habitants of  heaven  to  be  altogether  holy,  pure,  and  per- 
fect, without  any  abatement  or  alloy  whatever  ;  which  is  in 
effect  to  exalt  them  above  the  rank  of  angels,  and  to  can- 
onize them  as  so  many  independent  Gods. 

XLVIII. — Administrations,  Offices,  Employments, 
AND  Trades  in  Heaven. 

It  is  an  opinion  very  commonly  entertained  by  profess- 
ing Christians,  that  the  happiness  of  heaven  consists  in  a 
life  of  ease  and  indolence,  and  this  because  it  is  described 
in  the  Word  as  a  placie  of  rest,  which  is  interpreted  to 
be  an  exemption  from  all  exercise  and  activity.  The  same 
idea  is  also  strengthened  by  what  is  said  in  Job  concerning 
tlie  grave,  though  by  mistake  it  is  supposed  to  refer  to 
heaven :  "  TJiere  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  there 
the  weary  are  at  rest,"  Job  iii.  17.  This  opinion  is  adopted 
by  Mr.  Pike,  and  he  seems  to  think  it  strange  indeed,  that 
Swedenborg  should  presume  to  assert,  that  in  heaven,  as 
well  as  upon  earth,  there  are  different  administrations,  viz., 
ecclesiastical,  civil,  and  domestic ;  that  there  are  offices, 
judiciary  proceedings,  employments,  trades,  mechanical 
arts,  and  manufactures,  together  with  studies  relating  to  all 
sciences  and  professions;  that  there  are  also  books  and 
writings,  parchment,  paper,  pens,  and  ink;  likewise  dis- 
tinctions of  dignity  and  pre-eminence  in  society,  with 
wealth  and  riches  in  great  abundance ;  also  meats  and 
drinks,  feasts  and  repasts,  garments  for  ornament  and  use, 
sports  and  public  exhibitions,  concerts  of  vocal  and  instru- 
mental music,  with  every  thing  else  that  can  contribute  to 
the  comfort  and  improvement  of  the  inhabitants  ;  whilst  in 
the  midst  of  all  these  external  pleasures,  duties,  and  scenes 
of  activity,  their  minds  are  continually  under  the  influence 


168 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


of  love,  and  intent  upon  promoting  the  happiness  of  all 
around  them. 

The  occupations  and  employment  of  angels,  and  of  whole 
societies  of  angels,  are  described  generally  by  Swedeuborg 
in  the  manner  following  :  "  Some  societies  are  appointed  to 
the  charge  of  infants :  others  to  instruct  and  educate  them 
till  they  are  grown  up :  some  are  instituted  for  the  improve- 
ment of  such  young  persons  of  both  sexes,  as  have  been 
preparing  for  heaven  in  this  world  by  a  virtuous  and  pious 
education :  others  to  form  for  heaven  such  as  are  well  dis- 
posed, but  ignorant :  some  whose  office  is  to  instruct  those 
that  are  from  the  various  heathen  nations :  some  to  receive 
the  novitiate  spirits  or  such  as  are  newly  arrived  from  this 
world,  and  to  defend  them  against  all  assaults  from  evil 
spirits :  some  also  there  are,  whose  designation  is  to  minister 
to  those  who  are  detained  for  a  while  in  the  lower  earth : 
some  whose  province  it  is  to  restrain  the  evil  spirits  from 
tormenting  one  another  beyond  due  measure :  and  some  are 
appointed  to  take  care  of  those  who  are  raised  from  death. 
In  general,  the  angels  of  every  society  are  employed  about 
men,  in  order  to  preserve  and  withdraw  them  from  evil 
affections  and  evil  thoughts,  and  to  inspire  them  with  good 
affections,  as  far  as  they  can  receive  them  consistently  with 
free-will ;  and  hereby  they  guide  and  influence  their  works 
or  actions,  and  as  much  as  possible  bend  their  inclinations 
from  evil.  But  all  these  administrations  are  from  the 
Lord  through  the  angels,  who  act  only  as  instruments 
therein. 

"  The  forementioned  are  the  common  functions  of  the 
angels  ;  but  besides  these,  every  angel  has  his  charge  or 
office  in  particular.  They  who  loved  the  Word  while  in 
this  world,  and  studiously  investigated  the  truths  therein, 
not  for  honor  or  gain,  but  for  purposes  of  practice-  and 
good  life,  both  with  respect  to  themselves  and  others,  are 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORO.  169 


appointed  to  the  ecclesiastical  functions  in  heaven,  and  ac- 
cording to  tlie  degree  of  their  love  and  desire  of  being  use- 
ful is  their  illumination  and  wisdom  from  the  Word.  These 
exercise  the  office  of  preachers,  and  according  to  the  es- 
tablished laws  of  divine  order  excel  in  eminence  of  i-ank 
and  dignity,  as  they  are  superior  to  others  in  divine  illu- 
mination. As  to  matters  of  civil  administration,  they  con- 
stitute the  province  of  such  as  in  this  world  loved  their 
country,  and  preferred  the  good  of  it  to  their  own  private 
advantage,  doing  that  which  is  just  and  right  from  affection 
and  principle.  As  far  as  these  took  pleasure  in  improving 
their  minds  in  the  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  justice  and 
equity,  in  such  degree  are  they  qualified  for  offices  in  the 
heavenly  societies,  which  they  administer,  each  according 
to  his  intellectual  abilities,  which  are  in  proportion  to  the 
degree  of  their  affectionate  zeal  for  the  common  good.  In 
a  word,  the  offices,  administrations,  and  employments  in 
heaven  are  innumerable,  and  far  exceeding  those  that  are 
to  be  found  in  this  world  ;  and  all  that  are  concerned  there- 
in take  delight  to  be  so  engaged  from  their  love  of  useful- 
ness ;  no  one  is  actuated  by  selfish  or  lucrative  motives,  or 
under  the  temptation  of  anxious  care  for  the  needful  ac- 
commodations of  life,  these  being  all  given  to  them  gratui- 
tously, as  suitable  habitations,  garments,  food,"  etc.,  Heaven 
and  Hell,  391  to  393. 

Such  is  the  description,  which  Swedenborg  has  given,  of 
the  various  employments  in  which  angels  and  good  spirits 
are  engaged ;  and  there  is  surely  nothing  in  the  whole  ac- 
count that  is  cither  unreasonable  in  itself,  or  in  the  least 
degree  opposed  to  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  but  rather  in  per- 
fect agreement  with  them.  Moses  was  enjoined  to  see,  that 
the  tabernacle,  and  every  thing  belonging  to  it,  should  be 
made  exactly  according  to  their  heavenly  pattern,  which 
was  showed  him  in  the  mount,  Exod.  xxv.  9,  40 ;  conse- 

15 


170 


A  VI>rDICATION  OF  THE 


quently  there  was  not  a  single  object,  instrument,  or  utensil, 
in  or  about  it,  but  what  was  also  in  heaven,  in  its  spiritual 
substance  and  form.  The  apostle  John,  when  he  was  in 
spiritual  vision,  saw  a  tabernacle,  a  temple,  an  ark,  and  an 
altar  in  heaven ;  an  angel  ministering  at  the  altar ;  a  book 
sealed  with  seven  seals ;  another  little  book,  which  he  ate ; 
seven  gold  candlesticks:  a  great  multitude  clothed  with 
white  robes  ;  a  great  supper ;  an  angel  reaping  with  a  sharp 
sickle ;  another  angel  binding  the  devil  with  a  great  chain, 
and  shutting  him  up  in  the  bottomless  pit  for  a  thousand 
years ;  another  angel  also  measuring  the  city  New  Jerusa- 
lem with  a  golden  reed,  the  foundations  of  the  walls  being 
garnished  with  all  sorts  of  precious  stones.  The  prophet 
Zechariah  saw  an  angel  riding  in  the  spiritual  world :  he 
also  saw  four  carpenters ;  a  man  with  a  measuring-line  in 
his  hand  ;  a  golden  candlestick,  with  a  bowl  upon  the  top 
of  it,  and  seven  lamps.  Ezekiel  saw  six  men,  each  with  a 
slaughtering-weapon  in  his  hand ;  another  man,  who  ap- 
peared to  be  a  writer  or  clerk,  for  he  had  an  ink-horn  by 
his  side ;  also  an  angel  measuring  the  temple,  and  the  parts 
belonging  to  it.  And  in  Daniel  we  find,  that  Michael  is 
called  one  of  the  chief  princes  among  the  angels.  It  is 
plain,  therefore,  from  the  Word  itself,  that  there  are  ofBces, 
ministrations,  and  dignities  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  in 
heaven,  as  well  as  in  the  natural  world ;  that  there  are 
workers  in  wood,  as  well  as  in  metals ;  carpenters,  smiths, 
and  spinners  ;  reapers,  writers,  and  measurers ;  in  short, 
every  employment,  which  the  necessities,  conveniencies,  and 
even  luxuries  of  life  can  possibly  require.  But  in  all  cases, 
it  is  to  be  remembered,  the  objects  and  furniture  of  the 
spiritual  world,  including  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones, 
are  themselves  spiritual,  and  not  material.  So  also  are  the 
meats  and  drinks,  wherewith  angels  and  spirits  are  refreshed 
and  nourished,  and  of  which  abundant  mention  is  made 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  171 

throughout  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  For  "man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out 
of  the  mouth  of  God,"  Matt.  iv.  4 ;  Deut.  viii.  3. 

XLIX. — Marriages  in  Heaven. 

Another  objection,  and  the  last  which  calls  for  an  answer, 
is  that  relating  to  marriages  in  heaven.  Unacquainted 
with  any  other  sense  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  than  that 
which  belongs  to  their  mere  letter,  Mr.  Pike  charges  Swe- 
deuborg  with  contradicting  them,  because  he  asserts  that 
marriages  take  place  in  heaven  as  well  as  upon  earth.  For 
it  is  argued,  that  when  the  Sadducees  interrogated  the  Lord 
concerning  the  woman  who  had  had  seven  husbands  in  this 
world,  and  desired  to  know  which  of  them  was  to  have  her 
for  a  wife  in  the  resurrection,  he  answering  said  unto  them, 
*'  The  children  of  this  world  marry,  and  are  given  in  mar- 
riage ;  but  they  who  shall  be  accounted  worthy  to  obtain 
that  woi'ld,  and  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  neither 
marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage"  Luke  xx.  34,  35.  This 
passage  is  thought  decidedly  to  annul  the  doctrine  in  ques- 
tion ;  and  the  literal  interpreters  of  Scripture  taking  it  for 
granted  that  the  Lord  in  his  answer  referred  to  the  same 
kind  of  marriage  as  the  Sadducees  did,  too  hastily  conclude 
that  the  assertion  of  Swedenborg  and  the  words  of  the 
Lord  are  in  direct  opposition  to  each  other.  On  due  ex- 
amination, however,  it  will  be  found  that  not  only  on  this, 
but  on  various  other  occasions,  the  Lord  in  adopting  the 
very  same  expressions  as  those  used  by  the  Jews,  his  ene- 
mies, attached  to  those  expressions  totally  different  ideas 
from  theirs ;  and  that,  while  they  kept  their  attention 
fixed  on  the  external  natural  things  usually  understood  by 
the  terms  employed,  he  on  the  contrary  spake  of  the  internal 
spiritual  things  to  which  they  corresponded,  and  of  which 
neither  the  ancient  nor  modern  Sadducees  had  or  still  have 


172 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


any  true  knowledge.  For  example,  in  the  case  above  cited, 
the  Sadducees  by  the  term  marriage  understood  no  other 
than  carnal  conjunction,  an  union  not  of  minds,  but  of 
bodies :  for  being  themselves  immersed  in  worldly  and  cor- 
poreal affections,  they  had  no  other  conceptions  of  the  hea- 
venly state,  than  such  as  were  gross,  earthly  and  sensual. 
But  the  Lord  by  the  term  marriage  understood  something 
spiritual,  and  not  natural,  namely,  conjunction  with  him- 
self, or  regeneration,  which  must  be  entered  into  while  man 
is  yet  in  the  natural  world,  and  not  deferred  till  he  comes 
into  the  spiritual  world,  after  the  manner  of  the  five  foolish 
virgins,  who  were  not  prepared  to  meet  the  Bridegroom, 
Matt.  XXV.  10.  For  it  is  an  established  truth,  founded  on 
the  eternal  laws  of  divine  order,  that  the  process  of  regene- 
ration, which  is  a  real  spiritual  marriage  with  the  Lord 
(Isa.  liv.  6 ;  Jer.  iii.  14 ;  chap.  xxxi.  32)  must  commence  in 
this  life,  and  by  no  means  in  the  life  to  come,  agreeably  to 
to  that  saying,  "  Where  the  tree  falleth,  there  it  shall  be," 
Eccles.  xi.  3.* 

When  Jesus  had  driven  the  sellers  of  oxen,  sheep  and 
*  Man  af?  to  his  spiritual  part  is  frequently  compared,  in  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  to  a  tree ;  and  the  soil  in  which  this  tree  is  planted  and 
grows,  is  his  natural  affections,  formed  in  and  appertaining  to  his 
material  body.  Now  while  the  tree  is  in  its  proper  soil,  it  may  be 
improved  by  the  application  of  manure  to  its  roots,  and  its  quality 
may  be  altogether  changed  by  grafting  or  inoculation.  But  after  the 
tree  is  cut  down,  separated  from  its  roots,  and  removed  from  the  soil 
in  which  it  grew,  it  is  no  longer  susceptible  of  improvement  or  change, 
but  permanently  retains  tlie  quality  it  had  acquired.  So  man,  while 
he  is  in  the  material  body,  is  capable  not  only  of  improvement,  but 
even  of  an  entire  change  of  quality,  either  by  having  a  scion  from  the 
tree  of  life  grafted  upon  him,  or  by  being  himself  engrafted  as  a 
branch  into  the  true  spiritual  Vine,  and  drawing  therefrom  new 
spiritual  life.  But  after  his  removal  by  death  from  the  natural  into 
the  spiritual  world,  he  hiis  no  longer  the  capacity  of  changing  his 
life ;  his  character  is  fixed  and  determined  for  ever ;  and  he  must  of 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORQ.  173 


doves,  together  with  the  money-changers,  out  of  the  temple, 
he  said  unto  them,  "  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days 
I  will  raise  it  up.  Then  said  the  Jews,  Forty-and-six  years 
was  this  temple  in  building,  and  wilt  thou  rear  it  up  in  three 
days  ?  But  he  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body,"  John  ii. 
19  to  21.  Here  it  is  evident,  that  by  the  same  expression 
the  Jews  understood  one  thing  and  our  Lord  another :  for 
when  he  made  mention  of  the  temple,  he  meant  thereby  his 
own  body ;  but  they  thought  he  spake  of  the  building  of 
stone,  or  place  of  worship,  usually  called  the  temple.  It  is 
precisely  the  same  with  respect  to  the  term  marriage :  the 
mere  literalist,  the  Jew,  the  Sadducee,  the  nominal  Chris- 
tian, takes  it  in  one  sense,  and  that  according  to  its  ordinary 
acceptation ;  while  the  truly  enlightened  man,  who  is  aware 
of  the  spirit  and  life  contained  in  every  part  of  the  Word, 
regards  it  as  a  natural  image  representative  of  a  heavenly 
state. 

Again,  it  is  said,  that  in  the  resurrection  they  neither 
marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  just  as  it  is  said,  that  no 
man  is  to  be  called  father,  master,  or  rabbi :  that  a  rich 
man  can  scarcely  be  saved,  it  being  easier  for  a  camel  to 
pass  through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  man  who  has 
great  wealth  to  enter  into  the  kingdon  of  heaven ;  but  that 
the  poor,  the  lame  and  the  blind  gain  easy  admission :  that 
we  are  to  make  friends  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness : 
that  the  right  eye  is  be  plucked  out  and  the  right  hand  cut 
off,  if  they  offend :  that  we  are  not  to  resist  evil,  but  to 
him  that  smiteth  us  on  the  right  cheek,  we  are  to  turn  the 
other  also :  that  if  any  man  will  sue  us  at  the  law,  and 
take  away  our  coat,  we  are  to  let  him  have  our  cloak  also : 
that  in  order  to  become  a  true  disciple  of  Jesus,  a  man 

necessity  retain  to  eternity  the  same  quality,  the  same  niling  affection 
and  disposition,  which  he  had  acquired  during  hia  life  in  the  material 
body. 

15* 


174 


A  VINDICATION  OP  THE 


must  hate  his  father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children, 
and  brethren,  and  sisters,  yea,  and  his  own  life  also :  that 
the  Lord  came  into  the  world,  not  to  send  peace  among 
men,  but  a  sword ;  and  to  set  at  variance  with  each  other 
the  father  and  the  son,  the  mother  and  the  daughter,  etc., 
etc.  In  short,  it  is  said,  that  in  the  resurrection  they  neither 
marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  in  the  same  sense  as 
numerous  other  passages  of  Scripture  speak  of  heavenly 
and  divine  things,  the  literal  expressions  of  which  are  to 
be  understood  spiritually,  and  not  naturally. 

Is  it  now  to  be  supposed,  because  the  Lord  says  in  the 
Gospel,  "  Be  not  ye  called  Rabhi,  or  Master ;  and  call  no 
man  your  Father  upon  the  earth,"  Matt,  xxiii.  8  to  10,  that 
therefore  a  man  is  not  at  liberty  to  call  his  earthly  master 
master,  nor  his  natural  i&ihev  father  f  Common  reason  and 
understanding  dictate,  that  this  could  not  have  been  his 
meaning,  but  that  the  terms  prohibited  are  in  the  spiritual 
sense  to  be  applied  exclusively  to  the  Lord. 

When  again  it  is  said,  that  a  rich  man  can  with  difficulty 
be  saved.  Matt,  xix,  23,  24  ;  and  that  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven is  for  the  poor,  Luke  vi.  20 :  are  we  to  conclude  that 
the  way  of  salvation  is  not  equally  open  to  men  of  every 
station  and  degree,  but  that  the  poor  in  worldly  estimation 
have  an  advantage  in  this  respect  over  the  wealthy  merely 
on  account  of  their  poverty  ?  This  surely  cannot  be  ad- 
'  mitted  by  any  who  believe  that  the  divine  mercy  is  extended 
to  all  of  the  human  race  without  exception,  whether  they 
be  distinguished  for  their  rank  and  wealth,  or  for  the 
wretchedness  of  their  worldly  fortunes.  It  must  be  at  once 
perceived  by  an  enlightened  mind,  that  the  disqualification 
for  heaven  arises  not  from  the  possession  of  earthly  riches, 
but  from  trusting  in  them,  Mai-k  x.  24,  and  especially  from 
trusting  and  taking  pride  in  mere  science  or  knowledge, 
which  constitutes  spiritual  wealth :  while,  on  the  contrary, 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  175 


the  poverty  that  has  the  promise  of  eternal  life,  consists  in 
humility,  self-abasement,  and  a  sincere  acknowledgment 
that  all  true  wisdom  is  derived  from  the  Lord  alone,  and 
communicated  to  those  of  whom  it  is  written,  "  Blessed 
are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
Matt.  V.  3. 

In  Matt,  xviii.  8,  9,  the  Lord  recommends  the  hand  or 
the  foot  to  be  cut  off,  and  the  eye  to  be  plucked  out,  if  they 
offend :  and  adds,  that  it  is  better  to  enter  into  life  halt  or 
maimed,  or  with  only  one  eye,  than  having  two  of  each  to 
be  cast  into  hell-fire.  But  will  Mr.  Pike  or  any  one  else 
infer  from  such  language,  that  some  good  men  after  death 
are  really  and  literally  so  disfigured ;  and  that,  when  intro- 
duced into  the  final  abodes  of  the  blessed,  they  are  to  be 
seen  limping  and  hobbling  about  in  the  streets  of  the  heav- 
enly Jerusalem,  some  without  a  hand  or  arm,  some  without 
a  foot  or  leg,  and  others  without  an  eye  ?  As  well  may  he 
form  such  vain  and  idle  conceits  from  the  Lord's  words  to 
his  disciples  on  this  occasion,  as  press  into  his  service,  through 
sheer  ignorance  of  their  purport  and  design,  many  other 
parts  of  divine  revelation,  which  describe  the  sacrifices  to 
be  made  in  order  to  obtain  eternal  life,  and  among  the  rest 
that  passage,  which  declares,  that  in  the  resurrection  they 
neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the 
angels  in  heaven. 

But  what  are  we  to  think  of  the  terms  and  conditions, 
which  a  man  is  required  to  fulfill,  before  he  can  be  acknow- 
ledged as  a  true  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ,  if  taken  according 
to  their  plain,  obvious,  and  literal  construction  ?  Let  those, 
who  refuse  to  acknowledge  a  spiritual  sense  in  the  Sacred 
Scriptures  perfectly  distinct  from  the  customary  signification 
of  the  words  employed,  attend  to  the  following  declaration 
of  the  Lord  himself :  "  If  any  man  come  to  me,  and  hate 
not  his  father,  and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children,  and 


176 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


brethren,  and  sisters,  yea  and  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot 
be  my  disciple,"  Luke  xiv.  26.  This  is  the  language  of  him, 
who  in  another  place  says,  "  A  new  commandment  I  give 
unto  you,  That  ye  love  one  another :  by  this  shall  all  men 
know,  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another,"  John  xiii.  34,  35,  And  again,  "  These  things  I 
command  you,  that  ye  love  one  another,"  John  xv.  17. 
Nay,  "  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do 
good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  who  despite- 
ftilly  use  you,  and  persecute  you,"  Matt.  v.  44. 

Is  it  possible  now,  that  he,  who  so  strenuously  recom- 
mends love  to  neighbors,  friends,  and  even  enemies,  could 
for  a  moment  depart  from  his  own  essence,  which  is  pure 
love,  and  enjoin  hatred  to  our  nearest  and  dearest  connec- 
tions, as  a  necessary  qualification  for  becoming  his  disciples  ? 
Could  he,  who  so  solemnly  declares,  that  on  love  to  God 
and  love  to  man  "  hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets,"  Matt, 
xxii.  40,  advisedly  contravene  or  abrogate  that  divine  com- 
mandment, which  says,  "  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother"  f 
Exod.  XX.  12.  It  cannot,  must  not  be  imagined.  And  yet 
his  express  words  are,  "  If  any  man  hate  not  his  father,  and 
mother,  etc.,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple." 

It  may  perhaps  be  thought,  that  by  the  hatred  here  en- 
joined is  meant  only  a  less  degree  of  love  and  consequently 
that  the  Lord  spoke  comparatively,  and  not  positively.  But 
neither  the  original  nor  the  context  warrants  any  such  in- 
terpretation. On  the  contrary,  a  real  aversion  to  the  things 
signified  by  the  different  terms  used  is  pointed  out  as  an  es- 
sential requisite  of  the  regenerate  life.  Thus  the  father  and 
mother,  which  are  to  be  hated,  denote  the  natural  hereditary 
propensities  of  our  nature  to  what  is  evil  and  false,  con- 
sisting in  general  of  self-love  and  the  love  of  the  world ; 
and  as  these  propensities  beget  or  produce  acts  of  wicked- 
ness, so  the  former  are  regarded  as  parents,  and  the  latter 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  177 

as  tlieir  children  or  offspring.  Similar  princijiles  of  evil 
and  falsehood  iu  the  will,  the  understanding,  and  the  life, 
are  signified  by  the  other  terms ;  and  the  renunciation  of 
these,  however  dear  or  gratifying  to  our  depraved  appetites 
they  may  be,  is  held  up  by  the  Lord  as  an  indispensable 
condition  of  our  acceptance  with  him.  From  this  example, 
among  others  of  a  like  charater,  it  may  be  safely  and  cer- 
tainly concluded,  that  the  language  of  divine  revelation  is 
in  many  cases  to  be  interpreted,  not  according  to  the  literal 
or  external  expression,  but  according  to  the  genuine  inter- 
nal sense  contained  within  it.  And  by  the  same  rule,  which 
determines  the  sense  in  any  given  passage,  namely,  the 
general  tenor  of  the  Scriptures  seen  in  rational  light,  it  is 
equally  clear,  that  the  term  marriage,  in  the  case  before 
cited,  was  intended  by  the  Lord  to  convey  a  spiritual 
meaning  widely  diflferent  from  that  entertained  by  the  Sad- 
ducees. 

That  marriages  take  place  in  heaven,  as  well  as  upon 
earth,  is  clearly  deducible  not  only  from  the  original  design 
of  the  creation  of  man,  but  also  from  the  general  sense  of 
the  Scriptures,  which  in  many  places  represent  heaven  as  a 
state  of  marriage.  Our  Lord  says,  "Have  ye  not  read, 
that  he  who  made  them  at  the  beginning,  made  them  male 
and  female  f  and  said.  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father 
and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife ;  and  they  twain 
shall  be  one  fiesh.  Wherefore  they  are  no  more  twain,  but 
one  flesh.  What  therefore  God  has  joined  together,  let  not 
man  2nd  asunder,"  Matt.  xix.  4  to  6.  Hence  it  plainly  ap- 
pears, that  marriage,  which  consists  in  the  union  of  male 
and  female  forms,  both  in  the  spiritual  and  in  the  natural 
world,  is  agreeable  to  the  original  unchangeable  intent  of 
the  Creator,  who  being  essential  good  and  truth  in  most 
perfect  union,  desires  all  the  recipient  subjects  thereof  to 
become  images  and  likenesses  of  himself. 


178 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


That  the  Scriptures  represent  heaven  as  a  state  of  mar- 
riage, is  plain  from  those  places  where  the  Lord  is  spoken 
of  as  a  Bridegroom  or  Husband,  and  the  Church  as  his 
bride  or  wife ;  as  from  the  following :  "  The  marriage  of  the 
Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made  herself  ready. 
Blessed  are  they  who  are  called  unto  the  marriage-supper 
of  the  Lamb,"  Apoc.  xix.  7,  9.  "I  John  saw  the  holy 
city,  New  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven, 
prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband.  Come  hither, 
I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,"  Apoc.  xxi.  2, 
9.  Again,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  certain 
king,  who  made  a  marriage  for  his  son,  and  sent  forth  his 
servants  to  call  them  that  were  bidden  to  the  wedding," 
Matt.  xxii.  2,  3.  "  Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be 
likened  unto  ten  virgins,  who  took  their  lamps,  and  went 
forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom,  five  of  whom  went  in  to  the 
marriage,"  Matt.  xxv.  1  to  10. 

L. — Chief  Articles  of  the  Faith  op  the  New 
Church,  called  the  New  Jerusalem. 

For  the  information  of  those  who  are  disposed  to  make 
further  inquiry  into  the  nature  and  tendency  of  the  hea- 
venly doctrines  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  yet  have  not 
hitherto  had  an  opportunity  of  consulting  the  theological 
writings  of  that  illustrious  and  enlightened  servant  of  the 
Lord,  Emanuel  Swedenborg ;  and  likewise  with  a  view  to 
guard  such  against  the  misrepresentations  and  false  reports 
which  are  too  frequently  propagated  concerning  them  by 
bigoted  and  designing  men,  we  subjoin  a  statement  of  the 
chief  articles  of  the  faith  professed  and  embraced  by  the 
members  of  the  New  Church : 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBOEG.  179 


Heavenly  Doctrines  of  the  New  Church;  Signified  by  the 
New  Jerusalem  in  the  Book  of  Revelation, 

1.  That  Jehovah  God,  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of 
heaven  and  earth,  is  Love  Itself  and  Wisdom  Itself,  or  Good 
Itself  and  Truth  Itself:  That  he  is  One  both  in  Essence 
and  in  Person,  in  whom,  nevertheless,  is  the  Divine  Trinity 
of  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit,  which  are  the  Essential 
Divinity,  the  Divine  Humanity,  and  the  Divine  Proceed- 
ing, answering  to  the  Soul,  the  body  and  the  operative 
energy  in  man :  And  that  the  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  is  that  God.  In  Him  dwells  all  the  fullness  of  the 
Godhead  bodily. 

2.  That  Jehovah  God  himself  descended  from  heaven, 
as  Divine  Truth,  which  is  the  Word,  and  took  upon  hira 
Human  Nature  for  the  purpose  of  removing  from  man  the 
powers  of  hell,  and  restoring  to  order  all  things  in  the 
spiritual  world,  and  all  things  in  the  Church :  That  he  re- 
moved from  man  the  powers  of  hell,  by  combats  against 
and  victories  over  them ;  in  which  consisted  the  great  work 
of  Redemption :  That  by  the  same  acts,  which  were  his 
temptations,  the  last  of  which  was  the  passion  of  the  cross, 
he  united,  in  his  Humanity,  Divine  Truth  to  Divine  Good, 
or  Divine  Wisdom  to  Divine  Love,  and  so  returned  into 
his  Divinity^u  which  he  was  from  eternity,  together  with, 
and  in,  his  Glorified  Humanity  ;  whence  he  for  ever  keeps 
the  infernal  powers  in  subjection  to  himself :  And  that  all 
who  believe  in  him,  with  the  understanding,  from  the  heart, 
and  live  accordingly,  will  be  saved. 

3.  That  the  Sacred  Scripture,  or  Word  of  God,  is  Divine 
Truth  Itself;  containing  a  Spiritual  sense  heretofore  un- 
known, whence  it  is  Divinely  inspired  and  holy  in  every 
syllable ;  as  well  as  a  Literal  sense,  which  is  the  basis  of 
its  Spiritual  sense,  and  in  which  Divine  Truth  is  in  its  full- 


180 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


ness,  its  sanctity,  and  its  power :  thus  that  it  is  accommo- 
dated to  the  apprehension  both  of  angels  and  men :  That 
the  spiritual  and  natural  senses  are  united,  by  correspond- 
ences, like  soul  and  body,  every  natural  expression  and 
image  answering  to,  and  including,  a  spiritual  and  divine 
idea :  And  thus  that  the  Word  is  the  medium  of  communi- 
cation with  heaven,  and  of  conjunction  with  the  Lord. 

4.  That  the  government  of  the  Lord's  Divine  Love  and 
Wisdom  is  the  Divine  Providence;  which  is  universal, 
exercised  according  to  certain  fixed  laws  of  Order,  and  ex- 
tending to  the  minutest  particulars  of  the  life  of  all  men, 
both  of  the  good  and  of  the  evil :  That  in  all  its  operations 
it  has  respect  to  what  is  infinite  and  eternal,  and  makes  no 
account  of  things  transitory  but  as  they  are  subservient  to 
eternal  ends ;  thus,  that  it  mainly  consists,  with  man,  in 
the  connection  of  things  temporal  Avith  things  eternal ;  for 
that  the  continual  aim  of  the  Lord,  by  his  Divine  Provi- 
dence, is  to  join  man  to  himself  and  himself  to  man,  that 
he  may  be  able  to  give  him  the  felicities  of  eternal  life : 
And  that  the  laws  of  permission  are  also  laws  of  the  Di- 
vine Providence ;  since  evil  cannot  be  prevented  without 
destroying  the  nature  of  man  as  an  accountable  agent; 
and  because,  also,  it  cannot  be  removed  unless  it  be  known, 
and  cannot  be  known  unless  it  appear :  Thus,  that  no  evil 
is  permitted  but  to  prevent  a  greater;  and  allls  overruled, 
by  the  Loi-d's  Divine  Providence,  for  the  greatest  possible 
good. 

5.  That  man  is  not  life,  but  is  only  a  recipient  of  life  from 
the  Lord,  who,  as  he  is  Love  Itself  and  Wisdom  Itself,  is 
also  Life  Itself ;  which  life  is  communicated  by  influx  to 
all  in  the  spiritual  world,  whether  belonging  to  heaven  or 
to  hell,  and  to  all  in  the  natural  world  ;  but  is  received 
differently  by  every  one,  according  to  his  quality  and  con- 
sequent state  of  reception. 


WRITINaS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  181 

6.  That  man,  during  his  abode  in  the  world,  is,  as  to  his 
spirit,  in  the  midst  between  heaven  and  hell,  actuated  upon 
by  influences  from  both,  and  thus  is  kept  in  a  state  of 
spiritual  equilibrium  between  good  and  evil ;  in  consequence 
of  which  he  enjoys  free-will,  or  freedom  of  choice,  in 
spiritual  things  as  well  as  in  natural,  and  possesses  the 
capacity  of  either  turning  himself  to  the  Lord  and  his 
kingdom,  or  turning  himself  away  from  the  Lord,  and  con- 
necting himself  with  the  kingdom  of  darkness;  And  that, 
unless  man  had  such  freedom  of  choice,  the  Word  would 
be  of  no  use,  the  Church  would  be  a  mere  name,  man 
would  possess  nothing  by  virtue  of  which  he  could  be  con- 
joined to  the  Lord,  and  the  cause  of  evil  would  be  charge- 
able on  God  himself. 

7.  That  man  at  this  day  is  born  into  evils  of  all  kinds,  or 
with  tendencies  toward  it :  That,  therefore,  in  order  to  his 
entering  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  he  must  be  regenerated  or 
created  anew ;  which  great  work  is  effected  in  a  progressive 
manner,  by  the  Lord  alone,  by  charity  and  faith  as  me- 
diums, during  man's  co-operation  :  That  as  all  men  are  re- 
deemed, all  are  capable  of  being  regenerated,  and  conse- 
quently saved,  every  one  according  to  his  state ;  And  that 
the  regenerate  man  is  in  communion  with  the  angels  of 
heaven,  and  the  unregenerate  with  the  spirits  of  hell :  But 
that  no  one  is  condemned  for  hereditary  evil,  any  further 
than  as  he  makes  it  his  own  by  actual  life ;  whence  all  who 
die  in  infancy  are  saved,  special  means  being  provided  by 
the  Lord  in  the  other  life  for  that  purpose. 

8.  That  Repentance  is  the  first  beginning  of  the  Church 
in  man  ;  and  that  it  consists  in  a  man's  examining  himself, 
both  in  regard  to  his  deeds  and  his  intentions,  in  knowing 
and  acknowledging  his  sins,  confessing  them  before  the  Lord, 
supplicating  him  for  aid,  and  beginning  a  new  life :  That 
to  this  end,  all  evils,  whether  of  aff'ection,  of  thought,  or  of 

16 


182 


A  VINDICATION  OF  THE 


life,  are  to  be  abhorred  and  shunned  as  sins  against  God, 
and  because  they  proceed  from  infernal  spirits,  who  in  the 
aggregate  are  called  the  Devil  and  Satan ;  and  that  good 
affections,  good  thoughts,  and  good  actions,  are  to  be  cher- 
ished and  performed,  because  they  are  of  God  and  from 
God  :  That  these  things  are  to  be  done  by  man  as  of  himself ; 
nevertheless,  under  the  acknowledgment  and  belief,  that  it 
is  from  the  Lord,  operating  in  him  and  by  him :  That  so 
far  as  man  shuns  evils  as  sins,  so  far  they  are  removed,  re- 
mitted, or  forgiven  ;  so  far  also  he  does  good,  not  from  him- 
self, but  from  the  Lord ;  and  in  the  same  degree  he  loves 
truth,  has  faith,  and  is  a  spiritual  man :  And  that  the  De- 
calogue teaches  what  evils  are  sins. 

9.  That  Charity,  Faith  and  Good  Works,  are  unitedly 
necessary  to  man's  salvation ;  since  charity,  without  faith, 
is  not  spiritual,  but  natural ;  and  faith,  without  charity,  is 
not  living,  but  dead ;  and  both  charity  and  faith,  without 
good  works,  are  merely  mental  and  perishable  things,  be- 
cause without  use  or  fixedness  :  And  that  nothing  of  faith, 
of  charity,  or  of  good  works,  is  of  man ;  but  that  all  is  of 
the  Lord,  and  all  the  merit  is  his  alone. 

10.  That  Baptism  and  the  Holy  Supper  are  sacraments 
of  divine  institution,  and  are  to  be  permanently  observed ; 
Baptism  being  an  external  medium  of  introduction  into  the 
Church,  and  a  sign  representative  of  man's  purification  and 
regeneration  ;  and  the  Holy  Supper  being  an  external  me- 
dium, to  those  who  receive  it  worthily,  of  introduction,  as 
to  spirit,  into  heaven,  and  of  conjunction  with  the  Lord ; 
of  which  also  it  is  a  sign  and  seal. 

11.  That  immediately  after  death,  which  is  only  a  put- 
ting off  of  the  material  body,  never  to  be  resumed,  man 
rises  again  in  a  spiritual  or  substantial  body,  in  which  he 
continues  to  live  to  eternity  ;  and  after  proper  preparation 
in  the  iutermediate  world  of  spirits,  he  abides  in  heaveu,  if 


WRITINGS  OF  EMANUEL  SWEDENBORG.  183 

his  ruling  affections,  and  thence  his  life,  have  been  good  ; 
but  in  hell,  if  his  ruling  affections,  and  thence  his  life,  have 
been  evil. 

12.  That  Now  is  the  time  of  the  Second  Advent  of  the 
Lord,  which  is  a  Coming,  not  in  Person,  but  in  the  power 
and  glory  of  his  Holy  AVord :  That  it  is  attended,  like  his 
first  Coming,  with  the  restoration  to  order  of  all  things  in 
the  spiritual  world,  where  the  wonderful  divine  operation, 
commonly  expected  under  the  name  of  the  Last  Judgment, 
has  in  consequence  been  performed  in  the  world  of  departed 
spirits :  and  with  the  preparing  of  the  way  for  a  New 
Church  on  the  earth, — the  first  Christian  Church  having 
fiilfilled  its  mission,  as  foretold  by  the  Lord  in  the  Gospels : 
And  that  this  New  or  Second  Christian  Church,  which  will 
be  the  Crown  of  all  Churches,  and  will  stand  for  ever,  is 
what  was  representatively  seen  by  John,  when  he  beheld 
the  holy  city.  New  Jerusalem,  descending  from  God  out  of 
heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband. 

It  is  called  the  Bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,  because  it  wor- 
ships the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  alone,  as  the  only  God  of 
heaven  and  earth  ;  neither  dividing  Him  into  three  persons, 
nor  separating  His  Human  essence  from  His  Divine.  This 
truth,  that  God  is  One  in  Person,  and  that  He  has  revealed 
Himself  to  the  world  as  an  Infinite,  Divine  Man,  is  what 
is  meant  in  Daniel  by  the  "  Stone  cut  without  hands  out  of 
the  Rock,  which  became  a  great  mountain  and  filled  the 
whole  earth;"  for  it  is  a  Truth  revealed  from  His  Holy 
Word,  and  not  devised  by  human  ingenuity  ;  and  is  there- 
fore the  only  platform  on  which  divided  Christendom  can 
ever  be  united ;  the  Rock  on  which  the  Lord's  latter  day 
Church  is  founded. 

To  this  Church  has  been  revealed,  1,  the  Spiritual  or 
Heavenly  Meaning  of  the  whole  Divine  Word :  2,  the 
Heavenly  or  Angelic  System  of  Christian  Doctrine :  3,  the 


184 


A  VINDICATION,  ETC. 


Life  after  death,  or  the  states  of  existence  in  the  spiritual 
world :  by  means  of  which  there  is  now  being  rapidly  in- 
troduced into  the  world,  which  is  to  last  for  ever  and  never 
to  be  destroyed,  a  New  Age  and  Dispensation  of  clearer 
Light,  greater  love  and  better  life.  Wherefore,  all  men  are 
now  called  upon  to  acknowledge  our  Lord,  in  this  His 
Second  coming,  to  look  up  to  Him  and  worship  Him  as  he 
actually  Is,  and  to  acknowledge  also  the  Church  or  King- 
dom which  He  now  sets  up,  walking  more  faithfully  in  His 
commandments. 

"  I  Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these 
things  in  the  churches." 

"  And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.  And  let  him 
that  heareth  say.  Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst,  come. 
And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely."— 
Rev.  xxii.  16,  17. 

These  Doctrines  are  unfolded  at  length  in  the  Writings  of  Emanuel 
Swedenborg,  and  in  the  collateral  writings  of  the  New  Church ;  a  full 
and  constant  supply  of  which  is  kept  on  hand  at  the  Book  Boom,  No. 
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Noble's  Appeal   1  75 


See  also  the  New  Jernmlem.  Mt'xsr.itffrr,  a  weekly  New  Cliurch 
newspaper,  for  complete  li.st  of  books  and  creneral  inrorn.afion 
regarding  the  New  Church. 


JOS.  R.  PUTNAM,  Manager, 

20  Cooper  Union,  New  Yoik. 


